Heir to the Champion's Crown - Season 1
by Athios
Summary: Chance is the son of a past Unova League champion, and follows behind his sister who is one of the top trainers in Unova. He sets out to make a name for himself in a different region (Johto) and make some new friends on the way. Will contain a gay relationship at some point. First fic ever. Name changed from "Adventures of Chance" as the new one sounds less generic.
1. Set Sail for a New Adventure!

**First ever fic, please review with tips to improve my writing. Anything positive and negative (as long as its constructive) would make me feel great! Hope you enjoy! 3**

A gentle breeze swept across the town as a young, red headed trainer stood outside the lab of Professor Juniper. He stood staring at the final barrier to becoming a trainer, the door that once opened would begin the rest of his life. A hand gripped his shoulder as he swallowed hard.

"It is natural to be a little nervous, Chance, but I don't want to stand out here all day." The redheaded boy glanced at his older sister who looked down at him. He rolled his eyes and reached out to ring the bell next to the large blue doors. Almost immediately the doors opened and revealed Professor Juniper standing with her hand on her hip.

"And here I was starting to think you would never show up." She smiled as her guests entered her lab. She looked past Chance at the two women behind him, "Anna, how good to see you again! How are you feeling now that your baby boy is old enough to go off on his own in the world?" She smirked.

"Well, you know I went through this almost three years ago, Aurea, so I am prepared. It is bittersweet though." The older woman put her arm around her son's shoulders as she spoke.

"As long as he is as good at keeping in contact as your daughter I know you will be fine!" Juniper grinned as she turned her attention to the younger female in the room "And Becca! You did fantastic in your second league challenge! You improved from top 8 to top 4! Next year you and Serperior have a real chance to win it all!"

Becca blushed as she looked back at the professor, "Thanks Professor. My team really improved a lot over the past year. If I wouldn't have gone up against Darien in the semifinals I would have gotten to the final round this year!" She grimaced as she remembered going up against this year's champion.

"Well, I believe that is enough of the pleasantries. This young man looks like he is about to burst with excitement!" Juniper smiled brightly at Chance. "Through here are the pokemon that I keep for the new trainers. Follow me and I will introduce you!" The group walked through another set of doors and into a large room of the lab. Machines lined every wall and many scientists and younger interns were at work studying the ancient pokemon world. As they approached the back wall of the room Chance's eyes quickly found the three pokeballs sitting alone on a table. The professor laid her hand down on the first one and turned to him, locking eyes "Before I open these, remember, being a trainer is a lot of responsibility and takes a lot of work. You will be in charge of the lives of every pokemon you capture and you must treat them with compassion and kindness at all times. Although, with your mother and sister around, I am sure you have been taught this since the day you were born!"

Chance's face began to relax finally at her words. "Yes Professor, I promise to always love and care for my pokemon. My Mom taught us well, and I plan to use what she taught us to surpass my sister and then her!" He beamed up at Juniper, who was rather pleased with his response.

"I look forward to you eventually going after this old Unova region champion! It is the responsibility of her children to keep her on her toes!" Juniper smiled as she lifted the first pokeball. "And now here they are!" She tossed the first pokeball into the air and quickly followed it with the second and third.

A small, green bipedal snake emerged from the first, followed by a small orange pig, and a blue otter pokemon. "Here they are! Oshawott, the water pokemon, Tepig, the fire type pokemon, and if you want to follow in the footsteps of the rest of your family, Snivy, the grass type." Juniper introduced the three small pokemon.

Chance kneeled down next to Snivy and extended his hand out to it. "I have known for years that I would stick with this family tradition. Snivy, if it is okay with you, I would love to have you along for my journey." Snivy sniffed his outstretched hand and looked deep into the young man's eyes. It closed its eyes for a moment in quiet contemplation and without opening its eyes extended its own hand into Chance's. Chance's face instantly began to glow as he looked at the grass pokemon, who opened its eyes and hopped up his arm and found a perch on his right shoulder.

"Well then! She seems to be rather fond of you! Snivy are known for being rather stubborn so I am shocked to see her warm up to you so quickly!" Juniper said as she grabbed Snivy's pokeball and a small red and gray device. "Here are her pokeball and a pokedex. Once you get to Johto you will want to head straight to a pokemon center to register for the Johto league and download the region's information onto your pokedex."

Chance took the items and thanks the professor while Snivy stretched out on his shoulder and swatted at Becca's hand as she reached up to pet her. "Well, she certainly has the trademarked snivy personality!" Becca grinned at the little pokemon who responded with a slight glare. The group talked for a bit longer about Chance's and Becca's plans for the following year before they departed the lab. The family headed straight towards the Nuvema Town port.

As they approached the awaiting ships Chance felt his mother's grip tighten on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by his new pokemon. He instinctively reached up and put his hand on hers. "You know I will call all the time and I will be back soon." He said softly to his mother.

"I know dear, but it will just be so quiet at home now without you playing with the pokemon. With you off in Johto and your sister headed off to Kalos to compete in the gym challenge there and train for next year's Unova League.. I don't know what I will do with all of my time." A bit of water collected in her eye as she spoke, but her smile never wavered. "I am proud that I raised two kids that aren't afraid to follow their dreams though." She reached her other arm around her daughter and pulled both her kids closer to her as they walked.

They approached a ship that passengers were already filing onto and the trio stopped and stared out over the sea for a moment. "I will make you even more proud, Mom. Just you wait." Chance's blue eyes shined as the sun reflected off the small tears that had built up as his departure neared. He hugged each of the women with him and stepped back, preparing to enter the line to board his ship. "Becca, don't forget, you promised to catch me a noibat while you're in Kalos!" He grinned at his sister.

Becca flipped her long, blonde hair over her shoulder as she stared down her brother. "I will keep an eye out for one, but you better make me proud over in Johto, squirt, or no noibat for you!"

"It's a deal then!" He extended his fist which was met with his sister bumping hers into his. They grinned at each other as Chance turned and entered the line of boarding passengers. His family waited until he appeared on the deck and waved while Snivy lounged on his shoulder. They waved and shouted goodbye to him one last time as the ship pulled out of port and began to make its way towards the Johto region.


	2. Cruising for Johto!

Chance leaned on the railing of the deck as Nuvema Town slowly sank into the horizon. The midday sun shone brightly, while the sea air swept through his hair. He allowed his mind to drift as he daydreamed about what his future travels held for him. Eventually, he had to drag himself back to reality and go find the cabin where he and Snivy would be staying for the duration of the trip. As he made his way through the ship he looked through the small brochure that had been handed to him as he boarded. Many events were planned for the three day trip, including a small battle tournament. He quickly decided that once he found his temporary lodging that he would find his way to where the tournament was being held so he and Snivy could watch the other trainers and maybe pick up a few tricks.

It was a simple task to locate the battle field that had been set up on the upper deck for the tournament. However, it wouldn't be starting for several more hours, so currently people were just relaxing and mingling on the deck. Chance took this as the perfect opportunity to get to know his new Snivy a bit better. He removed the small pokemon from his shoulder and sat him at the table he had found to lounge at.

"So.. Snivy, are you excited to go out and see the world?" He asked awkwardly.

Snivy stared at him hard for a second before nodding her head and replying with a happy "Snivy sni!" Chance smiled down at her and pet her head lightly.

"You know, it's strange. I grew up with Mom's serperior and did a lot with my sister's snivy as it grew, I feel like I know so much about your species, but I also know so little." Snivy looked at him quizzically and cocked her head to the side. "I mean.. Most snivy are a bit stuck up and stubborn, and generally they rely on their speed in a battle. So far you seem to fit that build pretty well!" He grinned at her as she turned up her head at being called stuck up. He laughed at her lightly, "Don't worry! I like that you have a strong personality! It will work well for the leader of my team!" She seemed to like the sound of that and relaxed a little.

A few hours passed while Chance talked to Snivy and got to know her. The tournament eventually began, starting with 16 trainers. The first evening was occupied by 1vs1 single elimination battles. Chance was mesmerized by battles, and he was silently overjoyed that Snivy couldn't seem to take her eyes off of the intense fighting before her. As the evening drew to a close and the final 8 competitors decided, Chance withdrew to his cabin.

Chance awoke early the second day after having a terrible night of rest. He wasn't used to trying to sleep while out at sea at all. However, Snivy seemed to sleep just fine up on his pillow, which she had claimed as her own. The day passed slowly until the final rounds of the tournament began.

Throughout the second round Chance was able to pick out a seasoned trainer that he had decided he wanted to win. The trainer and his pokemon battled with a fiery passion, yet he showed a great deal of love for his pokemon during each victory of his thus far. The semifinals started soon after and the trainer, Blake, had chosen his nidoqueen to do battle against the other trainer's sawsbuck. The battle was short, as nidoqueen combined a series of sludge wave and ice beam attacks to defeat the grass type. This victory took him to the final round.

Blake walked off the field after his semifinals match to allow the other two competitors to do battle and decide who would be facing him in the final round. He stood alone by the railing of the ship and looked out over the sea in silence. Chance took this chance to approach him.

"Excuse me? Aren't you going to watch to see who your opponent is?" Chance questioned timidly.

The taller boy turned and looked down at Chance. He brushed his jet black bangs out of his eyes and replied, "Nah, it doesn't matter which one of these guys wins. Even seeing their strategy wouldn't do much. I already have faith that my pokemon and I can win. So I am just going to relax." He turned back around to gaze out over the sea as he spoke.

Chance looked at him in awe. "Wow. You must be a pretty good trainer if you're that sure of yourself. I hope you do win it all, you seem to deserve it with how much you respect and believe in your pokemon." Chance smiled as he spoke.

Blake looked back over his shoulder at Chance. "What is your name, kid?"

"It's Chance. Snivy and I just started our journey and we are headed to the Johto region to compete." He replied.

"It seems the main thing you look at in others to see their value is their respect for their pokemon. That is a good trait to have. Never let it leave your heart." Blake turned and began walking away, but stopped suddenly, "I will be looking for you during the final match later tonight. I will try and show you two some battling tips to help jump start your journey. Oh, and find me once we land at the port. I am from the Johto region, I will point you in the right direction." And with that he walked away into the crowd. Chance was left a bit dazed at the man's words. He seemed very sure about his ideals, and was very nice to somebody who was a complete stranger. Chance hoped that once he became a strong trainer he would get to challenge Blake and show him that his words of encouragement weren't wasted.

The final round came a few hours later. Blake had chosen his meganium to battle his opponent's conkeldurr. The moment he threw out his starter pokemon he made eye contact with Chance and made sure he was paying attention to how he had his own grass type utilize its attacks. The battle didn't last long, as meganium kept conkeldurr's movement restricted with its vine whip attacks, while battering it down with a series of razer leafs and a final solar beam. Blake and meganium had full control the entire match.

Once the battle was complete, Blake was awarded his trophy and he quickly disappeared from the deck. Chance was a bit bummed out that he didn't get to speak to him to congratulate him on his stunning victory. He had clearly raised his pokemon very well and trusted in them entirely. Chance searched for the deck for the next half hour, but eventually was forced to give up and grab a small dinner before bed. They would be landing at about 11 am tomorrow and he wanted to be well rested when he began his journey.

The next day the ship docked at the port in Cherrygrove City. The passengers disembarked and Chance was left looking around the port to try and catch a glimpse of Blake before he wandered into the city to find the pokemon center. His search was short lived as Blake soon came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder.

"So, you're just starting your journey, right?" Blake questioned.

"Yeah, I haven't even registered yet. Honestly, I have no idea where the pokemon center even is here." He blushed while looking down at his feet.

Blake laughed in response. "Don't worry, you'll get used to that feeling during your travels. Everywhere is new when you first get there! Come on, the pokemon center is across town from here. I will take you to get registered and point you in the direction of Violet City before I head off back home to Blackthorn." Blake lead Chance through the city and up to the pokemon center where he would be registering to compete in the Johto League Gym Challenge.

When they entered they were greeted by the local Nurse Joy, who helped walk Chance through his registration. "Alright, just a few questions and you will be all registered and ready to go!" Nurse Joy beamed at the young boy. "Okay, so you said your name is Chance. Home town?"

"Nimbasa City, Ma'am."

"Age?"

"16."

"And you just began your journey? Once you begin the pokemon you catch are automatically registered to your trainer profile, but we will have to register any other pokemon you have currently right now."

"Oh, okay." Chance stammered as he grabbed Snivy's pokeball. "Well, currently it is just me and Snivy."

"Alright, I will have to borrow its pokeball for just one moment!" She replied in her far too cheery tone. She placed the pokeball on a small holder on her computer and it was quickly scanned and returned to Chance. "Alright! That takes care of it. Here is a map of the Johto region, a book with the rules and regulations for the Johto League, as well as a pamphlet with important dates that you must know concerning the tournament this year and registration deadlines. Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"Nope, I think that is just about it." Chance said as he placed Snivy's ball back in his pocket and stuffed the new items into his bag. "Thank you very much!" With that the two boys left the center and walked across the town until they hit a road leading north.

"Well, Chance, this is where we part ways. Follow this path north and you will eventually hit Violet City. That is the nearest gym to here. If you can win against Falkner's birds then I have faith that I will see you at next year's Johto League Conference." Chance thanked him as they entered their numbers into each other's cell phones, just in case. "No matter what, keep your head held high, believe in your pokemon, and never give up." Blake said as he tossed out a pokeball to reveal a large pidgeot. He jumped onto his pokemon's back and the two quickly disappeared into the horizon as Chance waved goodbye.

Once they were out of sight Chance turned towards the road and began walking north, taking the first steps of his journey in the Johto region.


	3. Living the Dream!

**I am glad to be getting some views and some reviews. Still getting some of the rust off my fingers as I write, so I do apologize for any mistakes. I keep going back and forth about how long I want to make chapters. Currently I am sitting around 1500 words per chapter, but part of me would like to make them a bit longer. That or potentially keep posting more frequently than most do. I plan to slow down once a few chapters are out so people can better decide if they want to stick with the series. Would be happy to hear opinions on chapter length. Thanks for reading, enjoy!  
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As the afternoon sun shone brightly over the vast hills that stretched out across route 30, Chance and Snivy walked cheerfully through the grass and took in the scenery that surrounded them. Snivy had already begun to form a habit of riding on Chance's shoulder as they walked, however, Chance was making sure she did a fair bit of walking as well to keep her from getting too lazy. According to the map that Nurse Joy had given him, Violet City was only a few days walk away, so he didn't have too much time to prepare for his first gym battle and he wanted to make sure Snivy was in top form.

After several hours of walking, Chance happened upon to boys who were only a few years younger than himself. The boys were just finishing up what seemed to be an intense pokemon battle when Chance spotted them. The dark-haired boy's rattata had just defeated his opponent's ledyba.

"You know, Snivy, we haven't even battled together yet. Maybe this is our shot to test out our skills." Chance grinned at the grass pokemon that stood by his leg. Snivy responded by looking up at him with a look of pure determination and nodding her head. At her approval Chance approached the two boys. "Hey! That was a nice battle you two had!" He greeted.

"Thanks!" The dark-haired boy replied happily. "If you want Rattata and I still have enough steam in us for another round!" He grinned.

"Sounds good to me. I will take your challenge! Snivy and I are ready for a battle!" The boys spread apart in the small clearing and their pokemon met between them.

"Wow, I have never seen a pokemon like that one." The boy marveled. "Alright! Let's start this off with a tackle Rattata!" The boy commanded.

"Dodge it and retaliate with a vine whip!" The rat pokemon was fast, but Snivy was faster. Just before it made contact with Snivy a strong green vine swatted it aside. Snivy stood her ground and stared her foe down.

"Wow, that's fast! If speed is your game, Rattata and I can play just as well. Use quick attack, now!" The boy shouted out. Snivy tried to just out of the way, but the small purple pokemon was too fast and slammed into her side and threw her across the field. "Now, before it gets back up, use your super fang attack!" The rat jumped towards Snivy and its large fangs began to glow.

"Snivy! Quick, use your leaf tornado!" Snivy quickly jumped into the air and began to spin as bright green leaves surrounded it. The barrage of leaves slammed into the rat pokemon and tossed it back to the ground. "Now, let's finish this up! Hit it with another vine whip!" Chance commanded his starter pokemon. Before Rattata could get back up to its feet a thick green vine was slammed hard against its back, and then circled around its stomach and tossed it back towards its trainer. The rat pokemon bounced once off the ground and slid to its trainer's feet. The battle was over.

The dark-haired boy raised the pokeball that was in his hand and recalled his injured pokemon. "Return, Rattata. You deserve a nice long rest." The boy smiled at his pokemon as it disappeared in a flash of red energy. When he looked back up from where his pokemon had been on the ground he saw a hand awaiting him.

"That was a great battle. I will always be proud that it was our debut battle." Chance smiled happily at the boy. The boy grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.

"It was really fun!" He beamed. "You better keep getting stronger because I definitely plan to battle you two again in the future!"

"It's a deal!" Chance nodded. "The name is Chance, and I am just starting my gym challenge here. Maybe we can battle again at the Johto League!"

"Sounds good to me! Just keep your eyes peeled for Kyle from New Bark Town! By the time the next Johto League Conference is held my name will be everywhere!" The boy boasted. The boys eventually parted ways, promising to battle once again in the future. Chance was very proud of his starter pokemon's debut performance and was glad his own pokemon journey seemed to be off to a good start.

As the afternoon sun faded into dusk, Chance and Snivy found a small cluster of trees on the edge of the nearby forest to make camp under. Chance set up a small camp site with his sleeping bag and pillow, as well as a small campfire to cook his dinner on. The two enjoyed a quiet and relaxing evening as the setting sun disappeared over the horizon and night fell over the land.

Shortly after trainer and pokemon had closed their eyes for the night Chance was awoken by a loud hooting noise. He groggily looked around for what was causing the noise, but his searching eyes found nothing in the dark forest around him. After a few minutes passed he closed his eyes once more to try and actually get some sleep that evening, but before long the noise rang through the area again. This time loud enough to awaken Snivy as well. Snivy huffed in annoyance as she stood up on the pillow where she had been resting and looked around for the one who dared to interrupt her sleep. Chance joined her in looking around the nearby area for whatever the cause for the disturbance was.

"Well, Snivy, I don't see a damn thing… Whatever it is I hope it shuts up soon so we can get some rest." Chance grumbled to his pokemon. As he complained the hooting began again, only this time much closer than before. Chance looked straight up into the tree that he and Snivy were currently standing under, but he could see no solid form among the dark branches. "See anything, Snivy?" He questioned his pokemon while he scanned the branches.

"Sni!" She cried as she jumped up onto the trunk of the tree and quickly bounded up into the foliage above. A brief rustling was heard and suddenly a brown mass shot through the leaves above and hit the ground next to Chance. The mass was quickly joined by Snivy, who made a graceful landing next to it and took a battle stance. She clearly had a grudge against this noisy pokemon.

The pokemon stood and faced its attacker. Before them stood a small brown bird pokemon, with large, red eyes. Chance quickly took out his pokedex to analyze this new pokemon.

 _Hoothoot, the Owl Pokémon. Hoothoot stands on one leg, but uses both its powerful eyes to see clearly even through the darkest night._

The pokedex chirped. "Well then, if this guy wants to keep us up all night then we may as well battle, right Snivy?" Chance smiled as he took a battle stance behind his pokemon. Snivy nodded in response and dashed at the owl pokemon. Snivy met it head on with a tackle, but quickly learned that close range would not favor the grass type. The two pokemon tumbled to the ground next to each other and the hoothoot quickly began to peck at Snivy's face.

"Snivy, quick, get some distance and hit it with a vine whip!" Her trainer commanded. Snivy jumped back away from the owl and tossed out its vines at the foe, however, they were easily dodged as the owl took to the air. Snivy kept up its assault and continued to try and smack down the flying-type pokemon with its vines, but the aerial advantage allowed hoothoot to easily maneuver out of harm's way. The bird pokemon then dove towards Snivy in an attempt to land a tackle attack in retaliation.

"Now is our chance!" Chance grinned. "When it gets close dodge it and grab its leg with your vine! Bring it to the ground!" At the last possible moment Snivy dodged out of the way and did as she was commanded. She slammed her opponent into the ground with everything she could muster. "Now, use leaf tornado!" Her trainer yelled with a grin across his face. The attack hit its mark and hoothoot laid on the ground gasping for breath. Chance reached into his pocket and withdrew one of his empty pokeballs and tossed it at the little pokemon. The ball bounced off its head and it turned into a beam of red energy and entered the ball, which wiggled a few times before the button in the center dinged. Chance stood in awe while staring at the ball for a few seconds. He had captured his first wild pokemon. He grabbed the ball with his left hand while Snivy jumped into his right arm. He embraced Snivy as the two rejoiced at their victory and the new addition to their team.

Chance and Snivy made the short walk back to their little campsite and curled up in his sleeping bag, ready to finally get some rest. Chance stared up at the stars and let a large smile break across his face. He was really a pokemon trainer now. He had won his first battle today and captured his first pokemon. His dreams were finally becoming a reality.


	4. Companion or Rival? A Trainer Appears!

**A bit longer of a chapter. Still getting used to writing again but hoping people are enjoying so far. Would love some feedback on whether the chapter length is preferred to the shorter ones. Also wouldn't mind some feedback on how battles are written. First fic so I may be stressing a bit too much about how I write certain things, but I want it to be enjoyable for the people who do read it. Thanks for reading! 3**

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As the sun crested over the distant trees and its warm rays began to shine over the hills of Johto once more, Chance yawned and stretched. He found himself having to shake the dew out of his long, red hair. He also found that his new blue hoodie, and his backpack had absorbed a large amount of moisture from the morning air. He grumbled at the situation. He clearly had much to learn about sleeping out in the wilderness.

Chance reignited the fire from yesterday and allowed his belongings to dry off a bit while he prepared breakfast for himself and Snivy, who remained curled up on the pillow that she had annexed. While his breakfast cooked he released his newly captured companion. Hoothoot emerged in a bright flash of light and looked around at its surroundings.

"Hey, little guy." Chance greeted. The owl pokemon tilted its head at the new trainer before it. "How are you feeling after that battle last night?" He questioned while reaching his hand out to the pokemon, who looked at it quizzically. Chance and Hoothoot took the next few minutes slowly getting to know each other a bit so Chance could coerce his new friend to allow him to use a potion on the wounds from the previous night. When he sprayed the potion on the large bump on the bird's head Hoothoot let out a hoot loud enough to bring Snivy out of its slumber.

Snivy slowly sauntered over to its new teammate and stared at it in annoyance. The two stared at each other quietly for a moment before Snivy stuck out its hand to the other pokemon, which returned its wing in a small, makeshift handshake. Chance smiled at his pokemon having a small bonding moment.

Chance and his pokemon ate their quick breakfast and broke camp as quickly as they could, due to the large amount of eagerness they had for continuing on towards Violet City. Chance returned his hoothoot to its pokeball and headed out towards route 31, which he expected to reach by the end of the day.

The second day of his adventure was rather uneventful. Being this far from Cherrygrove City, there were far fewer trainers. He only saw one other trainer the entire day. Throughout the day he took a few breaks to let his hoothoot out to spend time with them and get to know them a bit. Near the end of the day he allowed Hoothoot to remain outside of its ball for a few hours, which he soon came to regret. Hoothoot started its stint outside of its ball by flying near its trainer, but after about an hour and a half it decided that perching on its trainer's left shoulder looked much more comfortable. Chance quickly decided that Snivy riding on his shoulder would be more than enough for the most part.

Early the next morning, Chance entered route 31, and began his journey west towards his first badge. A mixture of excitement and nerves had him jittery all morning.

"Hey, Snivy..." He started after a while. "Do you think we are ready for our first gym battle? I mean, Blake did say that this gym had flying-type pokemon, which won't be too good for you." As he spoke he reached his hand up and began to scratch Snivy's chin.

Snivy stood up on his shoulder and crossed her arms in front of her. "Snivy! Sni sni snivy!" She challenged back at him.

"Well, I am glad you're confident." He smiled at his starter. "We will take it slow the next few days and train some more so you and Hoothoot will be in top form for our match!" He grinned as his pokemon relaxed a bit.

As the daylight began to fade once more, Chance decided to settle down for the night on the edge of the forest that overlooked a lake miles below. The rest of his travel towards Violet City would be much easier, as it was almost all downhill from where he was currently. Before the trainer retired for the night he had Snivy and Hoothoot do a practice battle against each other. He was working on their speed to help them dodge the gym leader's attacks. It would be very important for Snivy to dodge any of the flying-type attacks that came her way. After a few final hours of training for the evening the group fell asleep and had a night that came with not nearly enough rest for Chance, who tossed and turned thinking about the looming gym battle. Had his sister been this nervous when she left home? He wondered as he stared up at the stars.

The next day brought a lot of easy travel for the young trainer. Heading downhill towards Violet City was much more enjoyable than the several days of going up a gradual incline that had left his legs aching each night. By noon they had already reached more level ground and come upon a small lake. Chance saw this as the perfect spot to stop and have lunch with his pokemon, as well as get a small training session in.

As the red-head approached the water he noticed another trainer not far away. The trainer's bright red shirt made him stick out well against the clear blue water behind him. Beside him was a small purple pokemon with large ears. As he looked at the pokemon a voice came across the field to him.

"You know you could come say 'hi' rather than just staring from way over there!" The blonde smirked over at Chance. Chance blushed and trotted over to the other trainer.

"Sorry about that… I just haven't seen that pokemon yet. It looks very interesting." Chance said meekly.

"Oh, Nidoran? They are actually kind of common. But that doesn't make my buddy here any less awesome!" He beamed as gave his pokemon a big thumbs up. Nidoran slowly walked over and began to sniff at Chance's shoe. The red-head knelt down to pet the small pokemon between the ears and give Snivy a better look.

"Careful there. The big horn on its head is poisonous. You don't wanna let that stick ya while you're out here!" The boy grinned.

Chance laughed. "Good to know! I'm Chance by the way." He said as he stood and offered his hand to the slightly shorter trainer.

The other boy took the hand that was offered to him and gave it a firm shake. "Adrian. It's nice to meet ya! Speaking of pokemon you've never seen before… What is that on your shoulder?" He inquired as he tilted his head a little.

Chance laughed and reach up to scratch Snivy's chin. "This here is my partner, Snivy. She and I are actually from the Unova region, but we decided to start our journey out here!"

"Well then, you really are a long way from home then! What made you decide to start in a whole new region? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Well, my family is kind of well-known back where I'm from… I wanted to make my own name for myself rather than always being known as the son of a former league champion, ya know?" Chance replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I can see how that makes sense… You want to experience things for yourself rather than living in the shadow of somebody else. Make your own path rather than walking in somebody else's footsteps. It makes sense, really." The blonde nodded towards Chance.

The boys chatted for a bit before deciding to have lunch together at the lakeshore. While they were eating Adrian turned towards Chance. "So, once we are done eating would you want to battle? I am challenging the gym over in Violet City and I want to be ready."

"Hey! I am doing the same, actually!" Chance grinned. "I planned to stop down here and train my pokemon for a while because I am honestly not feeling all that ready for my first gym battle yet… So a battle with you sounds great!"

"Alright, sounds good! How about this, we will do a 1 on 1 battle, and because you've just started your journey I won't use Nidoran, because he has been with me for years now and already have a really solid bond, so we have an unfair advantage."

Chance laughed. "Sounds good to me! But ya know, you don't have to go easy on me. The gym leader certainly won't!"

"I don't plan to! But the pokemon I got from Professor Elm needs more training than the pokemon that I grew up with." Adrian replied as he scratched Nidoran behind the ear. The boys spent the next couple minutes finishing up their lunch and talking a bit about growing up. Adrian spoke about growing up with Nidoran and his older brothers, while Chance shared stories about his mother, sister, and his mom's serperior always playing with him.

Once they had finished they spread out in the field nearby. "Alright, let's get this party started!" Adrian yelled out. "Cyndaquil, it's time to battle!" As he yelled he threw a pokeball into the air and out popped a small blue and cream colored pokemon. Chance responded by pulling out his pokedex.

" _Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse pokemon. It has a timid nature. If it is startled, the flames on its back burn more vigorously."_

Chance looked back up from his pokedex. "A fire-type? Well then, I will go with you. Let's go, Hoothoot!" He exclaimed as he tossed the pokeball high into the air.

The owl pokemon emerged in a flash of red light and stood on a single leg, while tilting its head to the side and staring at the fire-type across from it. "Alright Cyndaquil! Time to get fired up!" Adrian shouted to his pokemon. The fire mouse pokemon responded by letting out a cry while its back burst into flames. "Let's start off with ember!" He commanded. Cyndaquil opened its mouth and out shot many small red balls of fire at its opponent.

"Hoothoot, take to the air and dodge it!" The owl pokemon did as its trainer commanded and flew up over the battlefield. "Good! Now hit it with a tackle attack!" Hoothoot dove from the air and used the drop to gain momentum towards its foe.

"Wait for it… Cyndaquil, jump left now!" Adrian's pokemon dodged at the last second before the tackle was able to make contact causing hoothoot to slam hard into the ground. "Alright! Now hit it with your own tackle!" Cyndaquil rushed the owl before it could recover and get back to its feet and slammed into its side, throwing it several feet across the field.

"Are you alright, Hoothoot?" Chance yelled to his pokemon. Hoothoot slowly got back up to its feet and shook the dirt off from its feathers.

"Hoot! Hoo!" The small pokemon cried as it narrowed its large eyes at its foe.

"Alright!" Chance cheered. "Let's try and hit it with a peck attack!" Hoothoot charged at Cyndaquil who let out an ember to try and deter the assault, however, Hoothoot was able to dodge beside the stream of fireballs and land a peck attack, knocking Cyndaquil back and causing its fire to go out when it rolled across the ground. Hoothoot kept Cyndaquil pinned to the ground as it furiously pecked at its body. Cyndaquil cowered below its foe who had overtaken it.

Adrian looked at his pokemon who laid helpless beneath the onslaught from the flying-type, but he soon got an idea. "Cyndaquil! Reignite your flame! Quick!" His pokemon obeyed and its back burst into flame once more, driving Hoothoot back away from it. "Now, hit it with an ember before it regains its balance!" The attack hit its mark and knocked Hoothoot back and out of the match.

Chance ran over to his pokemon and picked it up in his arms. "You okay, buddy?" He asked down to it.

"Hoo." It cooed softly back up to him. Chance withdrew its pokeball and held it up.

"Well, you take a nice long rest. You did great today." He smiled at the owl as it disappeared in a flash of red. He stood up and faced Adrian who was congratulating his pokemon before recalling it to its ball once more. "That was a great battle! Your tactics were fantastic!" He beamed at the other boy.

"Thanks, Chance. You did really well too!" Adrian smiled in response. "I feel much more confident for my gym match now. Having more experience against a flying-type will definitely help out!"

"I hope so! I think I still need some more practice before I am ready. My team and I haven't been at this very long and we are going in with a massive disadvantage." He frowned as he thought about the imminent battle.

"You're thinking about it too much. Type match ups are important, but they don't decide the entire battle. Just be smart about how you battle and you'll be fine." Adrian reassured his new friend as he put his hand on his shoulder.

Chance smiled back up at him. "Thanks! I hope you're right! Either way, we are going to give it our best shot. We can't let something like that keep us from the Johto League or I will never hear the end of it from my family!" He grinned.

"That's the spirit!" Adrian smiled brightly once more. "Now… If you are headed to Violet City did you want to make the trip together? I mean… We are both going to be taking on the gym. I wouldn't mind the extra company."

"That doesn't sound too bad to me. It would be nice to have somebody to talk to that I can actually understand!" Snivy yawned at this remark. "So, camp here tonight and head towards Violet City in the morning?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" The boys spent the evening getting to know each other more and allowing their pokemon to rest and play in the water a bit. Snivy spent more time lounging than playing with the other pokemon though. Chance had a good evening talking to Adrian and watching their pokemon play together. He was much less stressed about the coming battle than he had been the previous night and was actually allowing himself to be a bit more excited again. He smiled at the thought of winning his first badge and being able to call his family and make them proud.


	5. Take to the Skies!

The group awoke early the next morning and continued on their way to Violet City, which by early afternoon they found themselves walking into. The city was much smaller than Chance expected it to be. He was used to the noise and rush of Nimbasa City, but Violet City was much more relaxed. The city felt more calm and peaceful than any town he had visited back in the Unova Region.

The boys made a quick stop at the pokemon center, which was thankfully located rather near the entrance to the city. While there they learned from Nurse Joy that the Sprout Tower was a popular spot for trainers to stop and get some last minute training in before battling Falkner. Both boys decided that a small pit stop would be a good idea to make sure their pokemon were ready for the gym leader.

The group headed to the northern part of the town where the large, old looking sprout tower stood watch over the land. The boys entered and were greeted by the sages of the tower who graciously offered to spend a few hours with the young trainers allowing them to train with the bellsprout that lived at the tower. The training helped teach their pokemon more about dodging and going with the flow of the battle. The swaying of the bellsprout, as well as the tower, was an example of how you can't stand firm when it comes to a battle. You have to allow yourself to adjust to what the battle brings your way. The young trainers spent the remainder of their afternoon practicing what the sages had taught them, deciding that the next morning they would head straight to the Violet City gym. The boys stayed in a room at the pokemon center that night, but neither got much sleep as they were both far too excited. They talked early into the morning about the strategies they planned to use against the flying-type gym.

The next morning the boys woke up a bit later than they had planned, but nevertheless, they were both more than ready for their gym match. They ate a quick breakfast with their pokemon and headed straight for the gym, which was located near the center of the town. The gym was a rather tall building, rivaling the height of the Sprout Tower to the north.

"Whoa… This gym is huge!" Chance marveled as they stood before it.

"Yeah it is… I wonder why they would make it so much larger than any other gym." Adrian mused. The boys headed inside and were greeted by a woman who was a trainer at the gym. She guided them to an elevator and explained to them that the gym's battle ground was located up on the roof of the building. She informed them that the gym leader was already up there finishing up a battle with another trainer, but they were both welcome to head on up whenever they were ready.

When they elevator doors opened the boys were temporarily blinded by the bright morning sun that was slowly rising further in the sky. As their eyes adjusted they saw a large pidgeot swoop down with a glowing wing and slam into a poliwhirl that was waiting below. The tadpole pokemon was thrown back and knocked out of the match. The ref declared the match over. Falkner was the winner. The young woman across from him thanked her pokemon for a good battle and returned it to its ball. She thanked the gym leader and walked towards the elevator, passing the boys and wishing them luck as she went.

"Are we really going to have to fight that pidgeot?!" Chance questioned his companion, his voice giving away the panic he felt about going up against such a strong pokemon.

"That really depends," Falkner started as he approached the two boys. "How many badges do you currently have? Your experience level decides which pokemon are used during a gym battle." He brushed his long blue hair out of his eyes as he spoke.

"We both just began our journey, actually." Adrian responded. "Neither of us have any badges yet."

"Ah, so some fresh trainers then? Sounds good to me. You both are looking to battle me today?" His voice relayed a large amount of confidence.

"Yes, sir." Chance replied.

"Alright, then each match will be a 2-on-2 battle. You guys will be allowed to swap pokemon mid combat, but I will not. Whoever loses both pokemon first loses the match. Understand?" Both boys nodded in response. "Good. Now, who will be going first?" The boys looked at each other for a moment before Adrian stepped forward.

"I will battle first if that is alright with you." He smiled over his shoulder at Chance, who nodded in return. A young boy who had been standing by the sidelines ran over and handed two pokeballs to the gym leader, who thanked him. Adriand and Falkner both took their positions on their respective sides of the battlefield.

"Hoothoot! Take to the sky!" Falkner yelled out as he tossed the pokeball high into the air, releasing a familiar looking owl pokemon.

"Nidoran! It's time to battle!" Adrian responded by tossing out his own pokeball. The small, purple pokemon burst out of its ball and stared down its foe. "Start this off with a horn attack, Nidoran!" Nidoran stomped its front foot on the ground and then ran forward with surprising speed. The large horn on its head began to glow as it jumped into the air at the flying pokemon, however, the owl dodged the attack with ease.

"Sorry, kid, but my birds have the advantage out here! Hoothoot, use peck!" The owl shot forward and began to assault the pokemon below it. "Keep it up! Don't give it an inch!" The leader ordered.

"This is bad…" Adrian muttered to himself. He didn't have any flames to help him counter this time. "Nidoran, try and break free! Hit it with a poison sting!" The small pokemon began to run across the field, trying to shake its aerial pursuer. Hoothoot's speed was more than enough to keep up with Nidoran, but this ended up working in the poison-types favor. Nidoran suddenly stopped running and the owl shot past it. When it turned around it was assaulted by a spray of purple needles that shot from the mouth of its foe. Hoothoot recoiled in pain as the poison shot through its body. It collapsed down to the ground as the toxins took hold.

"No! Hoothoot!" Falkner yelled in dismay as he saw that the needles had poisoned his pokemon.

"Now is our chance! Hit it hard with a horn attack!" The horn on Nidoran's head began to glow once more as it charged the wounded bird. It slammed into the flying-type and sending it tumbling across the battlefield to its trainer's feet.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle! Nidoran wins the round. Leader Falkner may now send out his final pokemon!" The ref shouted out.

Falkner recalled his pokemon and grabbed the second pokeball from his belt. "Pidgeotto! Take to the skies!" He shouted once more as he released his final pokemon. A smaller version of the pidgeot they witnessed crushing its opponent earlier now flew before Nidoran. Nidoran was already breathing hard from the damage it endured from its first foe. "Pidgeotto, wing attack now!" Falkner ordered. The large bird darted through the air towards the poison pokemon, its wings glowing a bright white. Nidoran lept out of the way as quickly as it could, narrowly dodging the blow. "Bring it around and try again! Wrap this up!" Falkner barked out.

"Retaliate with a horn attack, quick!" Adrian shouted to his exhausted pokemon. The two pokemon rushed towards each other, meeting in the middle in a small explosion. As the smoke cleared from the blast Pidgeotto stood on the ground with its left wing held out awkwardly. Even with the damaged wing it took the hit better than its foe who laid on its side, knocked out.

"Nidoran is unable to battle! Pidgeotto wins the battle! The challenger may now select their final pokemon!" The ref called out.

"Your turn, Cyndaquil!" The fire mouse pokemon emerged from its ball and let out a cry, igniting its back. "Let's finish this up! Ember now!"

"Quick, Pidgeotto, fly up!" Falkner's pokemon spread its wings and attempted to rise into the air, only to instantly plummet back into the blast from the fire-type. Pidgeotto slowly made its way back up to its feet and stared at its opponents. Falkner looked down at his pokemon, whose fighting spirit was not broken in the slightest. It looked ready to battle still, but its trainer knew better. "Enough! I forfeit." Everyone looked over to Falkner in surprise. "Pidgeotto's wing is too damaged to fly. There is no point in continuing and risking further injury." Falkner explained as he walked over to his pokemon and pet the feathers on its head.

Adrian looked at the gym leader with a look of shock. "Are… Are you sure that this is okay?" He stammered. "I mean, I didn't really win…"

"No, you definitely had the advantage. You earned this badge, and it comes with a good lesson for both you and your friend. Know your pokemon and their limits. Their health and safety should be the priority at all times." The leader explained as he offered his hand out to his challenger. Adrian looked down at the hand before him for a moment, lost in thought.

"You really are a great gym leader. Thank you so much." Adrian responded as he took the offered hand. Falkner recalled his injured pokemon and took it over to one of the awaiting gym trainers. "Please take my friend to the pokemon center right away." The trainer nodded and rushed off towards the elevator. "Alright, time for my other challenger?"

"Are you sure? You are down one of your pokemon and I don't want to win because you had to limit your options… That just doesn't feel right." Chance replied with a frown on his face.

"Hah!" Falkner laughed at the young trainer. "If you think our wings are clipped just because I can't use Pidgeotto then you are sorely mistaken! All of my friends are ready for battle! I have two more of my wonderful birds just waiting to stretch their wings!" The leader grinned while he pulled out another pokeball and tossed it into the air. "Pidgey! Take to the skies!" Pidgeotto's pre-evolved form burst out of the pokeball and shot straight up in the air before leveling out and circling overhead.

"If you insist, then we are ready!" Chance smiled with determination. "Hoothoot, show him that he isn't the only one who owns the sky!" Hoothoot emerged from the ball and flew in front of its trainer, eyes focused on the competition.

Falkner laughed. "Well then. I like your spunk, but challenging me to an aerial battle will prove to be a foolish mistake! Pidgey, show him that we are the kings of the sky! Use gust to throw it to the ground!" The small pokemon beat its wings at a blinding speed and a strong wind began to blow at Hoothoot, who struggled to stay in the air.

"Hoothoot, remember what the sages taught us! Go with the flow! Don't fight the gust, use it to gain speed and come around with a tackle!" Hoothoot took a moment to stead itself within the wind before turning around and spreading its wings, allowing the gust to take it full force. Hoothoot plummeted forward and looked like it would slam hard into the ground, but it swooped around at the last second and used its built up speed to rocket towards its opponent, slamming into the tiny bird pokemon. Pidgey was thrown back and fell a few feet in the air before righting itself.

"Pidgey, show it a real tackle attack!" The gym leader ordered.

"Don't give up, Hoothoot! You use tackle too!" The two flying-types repeatedly slammed into each other in an intense aerial battle. Pidgey was much faster than its foe, but the owl pokemon had size on its side. Hoothoot's tackles were wearing its foe down much more quickly than it was taking damage. With one final, stubborn clash the two birds slammed into each other and both fell to the ground. Hoothoot slowly stood back up and balanced on a single foot. Pidgey lay motionless on the ground.

"Pidgey is unable to battle!" The ref cried. "Hoothoot wins the battle! Falkner may now choose his final pokemon!" Falkner brushed his blue hair aside as he recalled his pokemon.

"You did great, my friend. Take a long rest." He smiled at the pokeball and withdrew another. "Doduo! End this!" Out of the red burst of energy emerged a tall, two-headed pokemon.

"What is that thing?" Chance wondered out loud. He withdrew his pokedex and scanned it.

" _Doduo, the Twin Bird pokemon. Its short wings make flying difficult. Instead, this Pokémon runs at high speed on developed legs."_

"So it doesn't fly, huh?" Chance smiled. "That means we have the aerial advantage this time! Hoothoot, fly up!"

"Don't be so sure about that! It may not fly, but Doduo can still soar! Use a peck attack, now!" As the leader called for the attack, his pokemon began running forward before leaping high into the air towards the owl pokemon. The twin beaks of Doduo both slammed into Hoothoot and knocked it back down to the battlefield. "Now quick attack!" Doduo charged at its downed foe.

"Hoothoot, tackle now!" Hoothoot lunged at the other flying-type and slammed into it. The attack definitely did damage, but Hoothoot had had enough.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle! Doduo wins the round! The challenger may now choose his final pokemon!"

Chance recalled his pokemon and looked down at his starter. "Your turn, Snivy." Snivy nodded and bounced out onto the field.

"Well, that certainly is a rare site in these parts. But just because it's rare doesn't mean it is a wise choice. My Doduo has the advantage here." Falkner grinned at his challenger. "Doduo, use peck!" The large pokemon charged the grass snake pokemon.

"As we practice! Dodge it and use leaf tornado!" Snivy used its small size to duck under the assaulting beaks and quickly responded with a leaf tornado from right below its foe. The swirling leaves hit their mark and tossed Doduo into the air. Doduo slammed hard into the battlefield, but quickly stood up, a look of anger spread across both faces.

"Not bad. Doduo, quick attack!" The bird pokemon charged Snivy, who tried to evade but failed. Snivy was thrown across the battlefield and before it could right itself was hit again and tossed even further. Doduo continued pressing the assault and charged again.

Chance thought for a moment and quickly came up with a plan. "Snivy, before it gets to you use your vine whip! Aim for its legs!"

"What?!" Falkner looked in dismay as a vine slammed against the legs of his pokemon and sent it tumbling across the battlefield. "Doduo, get up, quick!"

"Don't let it, Snivy! Keep up the vine whips!" Snivy did as it was ordered and continued to slam its foe with its strong vines, keeping it off balance and preventing it from getting to its feet. The attacks didn't do much damage, but the continued assault was slowly building up on the twin birds. Chance noticed Doduo's breathe becoming more ragged and decided now would be his best chance to end it. "Snivy, end this with a slam attack!" The grass snake charged its downed foe and slammed its tail across one of the heads, smacking it into the battlefield. The other head looked down at its now unconscious twin and slowly laid its head on the ground.

"Doduo is unable to battle! The challengers, Snivy and Chance, win the match!" The ref announced. Falkner recalled his pokemon and praised its strong performance.

"That was a great battle, Chance. You were able to locate Doduo's weakness and exploit it. That was some quick thinking." Falkner praised as he offered his hand to the red-head.

"Thanks!" Chance smiled as he took the hand. "I knew we had to do something quick or there is no way we could win with the type disadvantage. Snivy hopped up on Chance's shoulder as he grinned. His grin became much larger as Falkner presented his two challengers with the Zephyr badge. The boys thanked the gym leader for the great battles and the lessons about caring for your pokemon. They turned to depart the gym, pleased with the results. Chance couldn't take his eyes off the shiny new badge. He really could live up to his family's name.


	6. Planning Ahead, The Fishing Struggles!

**Now that I have some content out I will be slowing down my updates a little bit. Been dealing with a bit of a cold the past couple days so this chapter isn't quite what I wanted it to be, but I didn't want to take -too- long before posting a new chapter. Hope you enjoy nonetheless. Happy reading! 3**

* * *

The sun seemed to rise far too early the day following the winning of the Zephyr badge for the boys. They had deemed this milestone in their journey to be a cause for celebration and had spent the rest of the previous day relaxing, shopping, and eating far too much. Both boys had made calls home to tell their families about their accomplishments, then taken their pokemon swimming in the lake within Violet City. Following this they purchased more supplies for the next leg of their journey. Azalea Town was a long ways away without many rest stops in between.

The young trainers walked to the southern exit of Violet City and looked out towards the horizon. Fields, hills, and trees were all they could see.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways…" Chance mumbled out awkwardly as he turned to his new companion. The messy-haired blonde tilted his head to the side and stared at the shorter boy.

"Is it? I mean, it doesn't have to be. We are traveling the same direction with the same destination, ya know?" He laughed a bit and grinned as the red-head blushed.

"Yeah, I know… I just didn't think… Well, I don't know what I thought! I guess I just didn't want to assume you'd want somebody intruding on your journey, I guess." Chance stumbled over his words, embarrassment clear in his voice.

"Well, I have enjoyed the time we have spent together, so the way I see it, if you want to keep going together then I am all for that. But I won't twist your arm or anything." Adrian spoke over his shoulder as he began to walk out of the city and on to Route 32.

"Hey! Wait up!" The red-head jogged to catch up to his friend. "I didn't mean it like that, ya jerk. I would be glad to have somebody to travel with. Having somebody around would definitely help keep me from being bored."

"And out of trouble." The blonde retorted, earning a look of annoyance in response.

The two new trainers continued the banter as they journeyed south. Both were happier than they would admit to have a traveling companion. Their pokemon were great company, but somebody who spoke English would make the journey a much more memorable experience. Throughout the first day of their travels they encountered few other trainers, but those they did encounter seemed eager to battle in hopes of becoming stronger before their own matches against Falkner. The boys obliged a few battles, but were forced to pass on a few of the challenges. They didn't want their pokemon to get too exhausted when they weren't sure when they would see a pokemon center again. Snivy seemed to enjoy her half-nap on Chance's shoulder as much as she enjoyed the two battles that she did compete in that day.

As the sun began to set over the horizon and dusk began to claim the lands around them the boys set up camp and Adrian began to cook a small dinner for them and their pokemon. Chance laid on his back staring at the sky as Adrian stirred the soup he was preparing.

"Ya know…" He started. "It really is weird feeling like I know nothing out here." He frowned as he spoke. Adrian looked over towards his friend, puzzled with where he was going with this. "I mean, back home, I know every pokemon that is native to the region. I know their type, their strengths and weaknesses. Where you can find them. But here I have to rely on the pokedex for everything."

"You are kind of spoiled, ya know?" Adrian grinned down at his friend. "You can't just expect to know everything in a region you've never been to! If you did you would be some kind of prodigy. Or a huge nerd that spent way too much time studying." Chance stuck his tongue out at his friend's sassy response. "Don't worry so much, though. You will learn about the pokemon here during your travels. And besides, you have me here now. I have your back. Just don't embarrass me too much by making rookie mistakes against gym leaders!" As the blonde spoke he dodged the spoon that whizzed through the air at his head.

"I really can't tell if you're being a good, sincere friend, or an ass right now." Chance smiled from his spot on the ground.

"Can't I be both?" The boys sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments and smiled, the only sounds to break the silence were the bubbling soup and the light breeze across the hills. A shrill pokemon cry carried over the wind, drawing the eyes of both boys upwards. A large bird flew above them with a human on its back. "See that pokemon? Any idea what it is?" The red-head shook his head at his friend's question. "That is a fearow. It evolves from spearow. Both are really common pokemon in this area. They aren't as fast as pidgey's evolutionary line, but they are really fierce battlers and can pack quite the punch." Their eyes followed the large pokemon as it turned to nothing more than a dark spot in the sky, and slowly disappeared over the horizon. Adrian handed a bowl filled with soup to Chance as he sat up. Four more, smaller bowls were placed on the ground for their pokemon. They ate in relative silence for a few minutes.

"Thank you, by the way." Adrian looked up from his meal in surprise.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Chance looked away. "It just means a lot that you didn't laugh at me for not knowing anything about the pokemon out here and you actually seem to want to help me learn about them. My friends back home would have given me a lot of crap about it. But then again, most of them spent as much time as I did learning about the pokemon of the Unova Region and studying to become a good trainer. I doubt they would know any more than I do out here." He smiled at the thoughts of home.

Adrian laughed at his companion. "Well, don't thank me yet. I will start teaching you about the pokemon we see and quizzing you. Gotta get you up to speed or you will be a shitty rival!" The boys finished their dinner and shared a lot of laughs before turning in for the night. Much to the chagrin of Adrian, Snivy had noticed his pillow was fluffier than her own trainer's, and had curled up on it while the trainers were still washing the dishes before bed. The blonde refused to allow the grass snake's trainer to wake her up, as well as the offer to borrow the other trainer's pillow. Instead he opted to go without for the night and made a note to buy the grass pokemon her own pillow the next time they were in town.

The next day the trio, as Snivy was very rarely in her pokeball, came across a river by early afternoon. Across the water stretched a large bridge, high overhead. Adrian informed Chance that it wasn't actually a bridge, but was actually part of the rails for the magnet train that connected the Johto and Kanto regions. A few more hours of walking south and they came across a large dock that stretched over a portion of the river. The dock was covered in trainers who were fishing for water pokemon.

"Why are there so many people around here? Aren't we miles away from civilization?" The red-head questioned his companion.

"Well, according to the guidebook there is actually a very small town about an hour south of here. It even has a pokemon center." Adrian explained. "It says here that it was built as a place for trainers who were traveling between Violet City and Azalea Town to rest. It isn't large, but it has a decent amount of traffic through it."

Chance looked over his friend's shoulder at the guide. "So Union Cave is just a few hours south past that, right? I guess these guys are trying to get some water pokemon to help get through all of the pokemon in there?"

"Sounds reasonable… It might actually be a smart idea to see if we can get something." The blonde looked back to his friend. "I mean, you have Snivy, but if we run into some tough rock or ground pokemon in there, I don't think Cyndaquil or Nidoran are going to do too well in helping out."

"I have no problem trying if you want to. But how do you plan to catch a water-type? I mean, we can't just go wading into the riv-" He was cut off as his companion pulled a small, collapsible fishing rod from his backpack. "I really should have planned better before I left home…" The red-head looked a bit defeated as his friend grinned in triumph.

"Don't worry! We can take turns. I don't mind sharing at all." He unfolded the rod and cast his line far into the glimmering water below. They spent the next few hours trading off fishing, but getting no pokemon. Chance got one bite, but the pokemon got off his hook before he was able to reel it in. After that failure Chance and Snivy surrendered the rod to its owner and took the chance to battle some of the other trainers that were hanging out in the area.

"Well, I guess I should give up if we want to make it to that pokemon center before nightfall." Adrian sighed. His Nidoran was napping by his side as his feet hung off the dock. "How are we the only people out here that didn't seem to catch a single thing?" He moaned in frustration as he fell backwards. His friend leaned over his face, shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun.

"Hey, we can't be good at everything. We can just leave fishing to the pros and go be great at training pokemon instead!" The red-head joked, making a smile break across his friend's face. As the two laughed the pole that had been sat on the dock next to Adrian began to twitch ever so slightly, before suddenly surging forward, almost going into the water. Adrian lunged forward and grabbed the fishing rod just before it was lost. He pulled back on it and began to reel in whatever was tugging at the line. After several minutes of tugging a small bit of red could be seen shining below the water's surface. The blonde trainer pulled as hard as he could on the rod and a pokemon shot out of the water and bounced onto the wooden dock.

Across from the boys sat a blue jellyfish-like pokemon with two large, red orbs within its head. Before Chance could grab his pokedex to analyze the new pokemon Adrian had already jumped into action.

"Nidoran, horn attack! Quick, before it gets back to the water!" The poison-type charged its foe and slammed its glowing horn into it. The water pokemon slid backwards on the dock and fired back with a stream of bubbles from its mouth. Nidoran cried out in pain as the bubbles burst across its body. "Nidoran, you have to get out of the way! Try and hit it with another horn attack!" Nidoran did as it was ordered and slipped to the side of the assault of bubbles and charged its foe once more. The second horn attack hit the water pokemon hard, but it responded by wrapping its tentacles around the head of the pokemon who had assaulted it. Nidoran began to run around blindly as its trainer called to it.

"Nidoran, stop where you are!" Adrian commanded. The moment his pokemon stopped he threw a pokeball at the pokemon that was grasping his nidoran. The jellyfish pokemon disappeared into the ball. After a few seconds the satisfying click rang sounded through the evening air. Adrian had captured a new pokemon for his team.

Adrian picked up the pokeball and smiled happily. From behind him his friend spoke slowly "So… That pokemon was a?" The blonde turned to see a blank stare from his friend.

"That was a tentacool. They are super common. You've really never heard of them?" The smile didn't fade from his face as he spoke.

"I have heard of them. I just have never seen one. Unova doesn't have any of them."

"Well, once we get to the pokemon center we will get to meet this little guy and I will teach you all about them. Deal?" The grin on Adrian's face became even larger as he gave the son of a former champion a teasing poke.

"You're an ass." The red-head grinned at his friend as he and Snivy began to walk south once more. His companion gathered the few belongings that were still sitting on the dock and ran to catch up with his friend. The boys made it to the pokemon center shortly after sunset and spent a few minutes introducing their pokemon to the new addition before heading to bed in the room they rented at the pokemon center. The next leg of their journey would be much more difficult than the fields they were used traveling through so far and a good night's rest would be wise to have before venturing forth into Union Cave.


	7. Union Cave! Leave That Pokemon Alone!

**Longer chapter today, but its one that I knew I was going to do before I even started writing the fic. I am happy with this one because it shows more of an emotional bond between trainer and pokemon, which I feel a lot of fics seem to overlook. It isn't a perfect chapter, as I am still trying to strengthen my writing, but I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for reading 3**

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Chance woke up in the unfamiliar room that he and Adrian had stayed in that night. The redhead sat up in his bed and stretched, moaning loudly. He was unsure if he would ever get used to sleeping at pokemon center's across the world. At least the rooms that they had prepared for trainers weren't terrible and uncomfortable. Chance looked across the room to the empty friend where he expected his friend to be.

"I wonder where Adrian is…" Chance mumbled quietly as he threw on his hoodie and picked up his sleeping snivy. He slowly made his way through the pokemon center, looking around for his companion. He eventually found his way out to the front lobby, where Nurse Joy was returning the pokemon of a young boy to him and wishing him well. "Excuse me." He said quietly. "Have you seen the guy that I came in with last night?"

"Oh! The boy with the messy blonde hair?" The nurse asked cheerfully. Chance nodded in response. "He is outside with his pokemon. He seemed to be training with a tentacool when I last saw him." The young trainer thanked the woman and walked towards the door. He quickly spotted his friend sitting about 30 yards away from the center. The blonde was talking to his newest pokemon. As Chance made his way over to his friend the little blue pokemon turned from its trainer and began to shoot purple needles at some targets that had been set up.

"Hey. How is the training going?" Adrian turned around quickly at the voice that stirred him from his thoughts.

"Oh, not too bad." He grinned. "I just figured that Tentacool and I should get some training in before we headed out today. I didn't want to delay us any."

"You know I wouldn't have minded hanging out for a bit while you worked with your tentacool, right?" Chance reached out his hand to help the other boy get to his feet.

"Yeah, I know. But its whatever. I couldn't sleep anyways." He laughed. After a few minutes Adrian recalled his pokemon after thanking it for working so hard all morning. The boys returned to their room long enough to grab their belongings, change into their traveling clothes, and grab a small breakfast before heading out towards Union Cave.

A few hours later the boys stood before the large entrance to Union Cave. The travel through the cave would take the majority of their day, and Azalea town was another day's travel once they exited on the other side.

The boys began their trek into the cavern. The entrance to the cave had been installed with a few mounted lights that were spaced just close enough to each other to allow trainers to see their surroundings. As they traveled even further they quickly found the lights to become more spaced out before they disappeared altogether.

"I guess they don't want to disturb the local pokemon with all of the extra light." Chance noted as the boys left the last light source within sight. The redhead reached into his bag and withdrew his flashlight.

"Well, why don't we use our pokemon to help us out? We should try and stick to not using the flashlights too much down here or it might attract some unwanted attention from the wild pokemon that prefer the dark." The blonde reasoned as he withdrew a pokeball and held it in front of him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chance stated as he withdrew his own pokeball. From both balls burst a bright red light, producing Hoothoot and Cyndaquil. "Hey, Hoothoot. Wanna help guide us through here?" The owl pokemon cooed happily in response to its trainer's question.

"Cyndaquil, can you ignite your back for a bit, please?" The fire mouse pokemon squealed happily as its back erupted in flame. Hoothoot perched on its trainer's empty shoulder and kept its eyes moving and scanning the darkness that surrounded the small group. They continued onward, guided by the light provided by Cyndaquil. However, being young, the fire-type wasn't able to keep its back lit up for extended lengths of time. Every few minutes the fire on its back would dim and disappear. During this time the boys would use their flashlights and Hoothoot to guide them, and once Cyndaquil was ready they would have it lead once more.

The group continued on in this fashion for several hours, at times being forced to have Snivy and Tentacool fend off a few wild geodude or sandshrew. At least Chance was happy to see a few pokemon that he knew from back home.

The boys had just fought back a trio of geodude when a loud roar echoed through the dark cave.

"What the hell was that?" Adrian questioned with a look of shock on his face. Cyndaquil cowered behind his leg and stared off in the direction of the terrible noise.

"I'm not sure… But it sounded odd." The redhead replied as he stared into the inky blackness before them.

"Sounded angry, if you ask me."

"I don't know. Sounded like it was more than that. Either way we have to go that way." The boys started to walk forward at a much slower pace. "I just hope we can avoid whatever made that noise…"

The boys continued onward for a few minutes before they heard the loud roar once again. This time it was much closer. This time, after the roar shook the tunnel they were in, they heard a quiet laughter echo through the cave. The boys looked at each other before slowly making their way forward. As they came around a bend in the tunnel they saw a bit of light coming from ahead.

The companions moved forward, towards the light. As they approached they saw that the tunnel opened up into a large cavern ahead of them. In the middle of the cavern was a group of people standing beside a large pile of rocks. The group was laughing joyfully and joking with each other.

Chance and Adrian looked at each other for a moment, before Snivy made a sound that Chance had never heard from her before. It was a squeak that sounded angry. Chance eyed his pokemon for a second before following her gaze. Her eyes were trained on the rocks beside the group. The group of trainers all had pokemon beside them and suddenly the pokemon began shooting their attacks at the boulders. The moment they did this the boulders shifted slightly and Chance instantly realized what he was look at.

Chance instantly ran into the open cavern, Snivy and Hoothoot right on his heels. Adrian and his pokemon followed quickly after. As they ran closer the boulders moaned loudly, drawing Adrian's eyes towards them once more. As they neared his eyes widened as he saw that the pile beside the trainers was more than just rock.

"Stop that!" Chance screamed as he got closer. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The group turned and eyed the intruders.

"We are just having some fun." A brown haired boy responded. "Why? What's it to you?" He sneered at Chance as he spoke.

"We are just trying to toughen this pokemon up before we catch it." A blonde haired boy replied casually as he stepped forward. "See, I thought I wanted it, but when we battled it, it hardly put up a fight." The boy gave a shrug as he spoke and then reached down to pat the head of the totodile beside him.

"That isn't okay." Chance growled as he took another step forward. "If you don't want to capture it then don't battle it! You have no reason to hurt a pokemon!" The group before him laughed.

"And who is going to stop us?" A girl with black hair asked from behind her two friends. "We found it, we can do whatever we want with it." She said gesturing towards the wounded pokemon.

"Not while we are around you won't." Adrian stepped forward next to Chance. His eyes darted to his friend. He had never seen Chance look this way. His face showed nothing but rage. The trio laughed again.

"If you want a fight then fine, Totodile!" The blonde haired boy barked as his pokemon jumped between its trainer and the intruders.

"You too, Poliwag!" The girl shouted as her own water pokemon joined the totodile.

"And you, Wooper!" The last boy yelled. The three water-types glared at their new foes.

"3-on-2?" Adrian questioned as the opponent's pokemon took a battle stance.

"It's fine. We've got this." Chance replied with confidence. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Snivy, let's do this." Snivy nodded as she jumped forward.

"Alright, Nidoran! I'm counting on you, buddy." Adrian shouted as he tossed out his pokemon. Nidoran stomped its front feet several times on the ground as it stared down its foes.

"Jade, Ryan, You guys take that other guy. Leave the loud one for me." The blonde boy smirked as he stared at Chance.

"Got it, Ian." The girl, Jade, nodded. "Poliwag, let's start this show. Use water gun on nidoran, now!"

"Wooper, you use water gun, too!" The brown-haired boy, Ryan shouted. Both of the water-types shot strong streams of water at Nidoran, who dodged several times but was eventually hit by one of the blasts and thrown into a boulder.

"Totodile, use scratch!" The blonde, Ian, commanded the big jaw pokemon. Totodile charged its foe and swung its claws wildly, however it failed to land a blow. Snivy seemed to be hyper-focused during the battle. Each swipe from its foes claws was dodged gracefully.

"Good job, Snivy. Let's hit back with a slam!" Snivy dodged another scratch and swung its tail around slamming into the water pokemon. Totodile slid back towards its trainer who growled in annoyance at the situation.

"Come on! Get back in there! Use water gun!" Ian commanded his pokemon. A blast of water was launched at Snivy, who couldn't dodge in time. Snivy was thrown across the cavern and landed near Nidoran, who was not faring well against its two foes. Tentacool had joined the battle to aid its comrade, but the battle was still not in Adrian's favor.

Chance surveyed the battle as the three trainers continued the assault of water gun attacks. "Adrian, help me get their pokemon a bit closer together. Quick!" He yelled out to his friend.

"Not so fast! Totodile, use bite, now!" The big jaw pokemon lunged at Snivy with its mouth open wide.

"Snivy, use vine whip to close its mouth!" The grass snake pokemon did as its trainer commanded and tied its opponents mouth shut with thick green vines. "Now throw it at wooper!" Snivy pulled its vines back and swung totodile around in the air and tossed it at its own teammate. The two water pokemon collided hard.

Adrian saw this as his chance. "Nidoran, use horn attack on poliwag! Send it flying towards its friends!" The small purple pokemon slammed its glowing horn into poliwag as hard as it could. Poliwag sailed through the air and joined its team in a pile.

"Now is our chance, Snivy! Use leaf tornado, quick!" Snivy jumped through the air towards its foes and began spinning rapidly. As it spun glowing leaves began to swirl around it, creating a whirlwind of foliage. The attack hit the three water-types hard and send them all flying back to their trainers.

"What the hell is this?" Ian barked out at the three defeated pokemon at his feet. "How can our pokemon possibly be so weak?!" The trio recalled their pokemon and glared at their opponents. "This isn't over." As the blonde said this he and his friends turned and trotted out of the cavern and into the tunnel opposite of the one the boys had entered through.

Chance didn't bother to watch them leave. Instead he ran to the giant pokemon that lay near them on the cavern floor. The wounded pokemon's breathe was coming in ragged gasps.

"Don't worry, Onix." Chance soothed as he pulled out a potion from his pack. "I am going to do everything I can to make you feel better. Alright?" The rock pokemon tried to recoil when Chance reached his hand out to place it on its side, but it no longer had the strength. As Chance sprayed the potion on the larger wounds left by the water-types that had assaulted it, Onix let out a pained groan. "It's alright, buddy. Just hang in there." The redhead laid his hand on the side of the rock snake and gently stroked its side. Adrian soon joined in with his own potion, starting to work on more of the larger wounds.

The boys spent 15 long minutes and several potions trying to get the onix to start recovering a bit. Slowly the rock-type lifted its head and stared down at the small, redheaded boy who was tending to its wounds. As the giant pokemon began to shift the boys took a few steps back from it.

"You okay, buddy?" Chance questioned as he watched the pained moves of the pokemon. Onix responded with a low moan once more. Chance frowned at it. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what all we can do. The only other option we have right now is having you rest in a pokeball. Your wounds will heal a bit faster and you won't feel as much pain." Chance looked deep into the wild pokemon's eyes. "I know you might not want to, but I just don't know what else we can do to help. The option is yours. I won't force you." The young boy placed a pokeball on the ground before his feet and took a few steps back. Onix continued to look into the trainer's eyes. It was shaken from the assault that it had endured, but it could feel the sincerity in the voice of the one below it. Slowly it dipped its head and poked its nose onto the ball's center, causing it to open and the onix disappeared in a flash of red energy.

Chance slowly bent down and picked up the pokeball, frowning at it. "This isn't supposed to happen. No pokemon should ever have to go through this much pain. No pokemon should ever be forced to be captured because it is too wounded to be left alone." He began to shake as tears fell down his cheeks. "How could anyone be so heartless?" He directed the question at no one in particular, but slowly sank to his knees as he sobbed.

"You did the right thing." Adrian wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders as he got down next to him. "You saved that onix. It isn't your fault that this happened. And once it is healed you can always release it." He gave his friend's shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Besides, you gave it an option. You didn't force it to get caught." The boys sat in relative silence, save for the quiet sobs of anger that escaped Chance's throat.

"We will hang out in this cavern for a few hours before you let that onix back out and we can check on it and use some more potions to help it heal a bit more. Alright?" the blonde questioned. "If it is feeling better we can let it go and still make it out of this cave tonight." The redhead nodded his head, still cradling the pokeball in his arms.

Adrian set up a small campsite for the group and prepare dinner for them. If they were stopping for a while they may as well make the most of the down time. The entire time he cooked Chance never moved from his spot or let go of the pokeball in his arms. He sat in silence for the next two hours before he called the onix out from its pokeball to check on it.

Onix's wounds had healed relatively nicely already. Another round of the potions and it was looking like it could return to the wild. The boys tended to each wound they found across the rock snake's body. Chance even cleaned an old scar above the pokemon's left eye.

"How are you feeling, buddy? The redhead asked while he cleaned the scar. Onix's moan this time was much less ragged. Its energy was clearly returning. "You're in much better shape now. It may have taken almost every potion we have, but I think you're going to be okay." He smiled into the pokemon's large eye. "I guess that means it is alright to release you then…" He held the pokeball up in his hand that he had captured the onix with. He tried to return the onix to the ball so he could officially release it into the wild, but when the red beam hit it to recall it, the pokemon glowed for a second, before shaking its head, breaking the beam and remaining before the young trainer.

"What's going on?" Adrian asked from behind his friend.

"I have no idea… It didn't work for some reason." Chance tried to recall the onix once more, but it again shook its head, breaking the beam once again. The pokemon let out a coarse moan. As it moaned Snivy began to talk to it. The two pokemon talked back and forth for a minute, before the grass snake bounded over to her trainer.

"Snivy sni! Snivy, snivy sni!" The little pokemon chirped out. She made large gestures towards the rock pokemon, which were met with a confused stare from the trainers. She sighed before running over to the giant and jumping up onto its head and curling up into a ball. She peered over her back at her trainer.

"Snivy?" The boy looked at his pokemon. "Onix, does this mean you don't want to be released?" The giant pokemon nodded its head slowly, being careful not to disturb the little one on its head. The boys shared a look for a moment. "Are you sure? I would love to have you on my team, but… I don't feel like I really earned you. We didn't even battle." Chance frowned at the large pokemon.

The blonde put his hand on his companion's shoulder. "You did earn it though. You may not have battled it, but you nursed it back to health when it was abused by a bunch of assholes. You battled for it, rather than battling against it." Adrian smiled at his friend. "I don't think I have ever seen a trainer that deserved a certain pokemon any more than you do this onix."

The onix slowly moved forward and lowered its nose to its trainer and nudged the arm that contained its pokeball. "Alright… If you're sure. Then I would be honored for you to stay with us, Onix." He raised the ball in his left hand. "Onix, return!" This time he spoke with confidence and a smile on his face. The large pokemon disappeared in a burst of red energy. Snivy made a graceful landing as its new friend vanished and smiled up at its trainer before jumping up onto his right shoulder once more.

The group continued their journey out of the cave in high spirits. They had stopped the abuse of a pokemon, saved its life, and made a new friend. Chance knew that this memory would always stick in his heart, and he hoped it would help mold him into being a better trainer.


	8. Azalea Town on the Horizon!

**Not an overly exciting chapter, which is why it took a few days for me to post. Kept trying to figure out how to make it interesting when its really just a traveling chapter XD Next chapter will be up soon, hope you all enjoy 3**

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The group eventually emerged onto route 33, and were very happy to see the sky once more. Even if it was filled with dark storm clouds. Chance pulled the light blue hood of his hoodie up over his head the moment he saw the rains before them. As they set forth into the rain, they tried to stick to the tree line near the path towards Azalea Town, or the rocky outcroppings of the hilly terrain when it was available.

"So, how far until we reach Azalea Town?" Chance questioned his friend. Snivy poked her nose out from within the warmth of her trainer's hood and let out a sigh.

"From Union Cave it is only about a day and a half. Unfortunately, that means we are sleeping in this tonight." Adrian replied, wiping a strand of wet blonde from his face. He frowned at the redhead as he spoke. Both boys had prepared for rainy weather during their trip, but Chance's hoodie was handling the wind much better than the poncho he had purchased. The wind continually whipped past him, and each time a new gust came through it would pull the thin, plastic hood off him.

"That doesn't sound fun…" Chance moaned. "If it gets much worse out here we won't even be able to travel. How are we possibly going to sleep in this?" His teeth chattered a bit as he spoke. His soaked hoodie drawing the warmth from his body.

"I am sure we can find an alcove or a cave or something in these hills." The blonde responded sullenly. "We might want to keep an eye out for one. If we can spot one we will stop early and try to get dry."

The boys continued trudging forward through the terrible weather for another hour and a half before they spotted an opening within the rocky hillside. Adrian grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him towards it the moment he noticed it.

The group had found themselves in luck. The opening was the entrance to a cave that went about 15 feet into the hillside, giving them plenty of room to set up a small campsite for the evening.

Adrian used his cyndaquil to make a small fire within the cave, as Chance rolled out their sleeping bags to dry. Once the fire was going Adrian began to rummage through his pack.

Chance sat close to the fire with snivy and watched his friend slowly empty his pack. "What are you looking for?"

"Well, I know I have a line in here some- Got it." He smiled as he turned around and stretched out a small clothes line. He tied the string up near the fire and pulled his shirt off, tossing it over the fire so it could dry.

The moment the blonde removed his shirt, Chance took to staring at Snivy, who was curled up on his lap. His companion noticed his lack of movement and spoke up.

"If you stay in those clothes you will catch a cold, ya know." The redhead's cheeks tinged pink at his friend's words.

"Yeah, I know." He mumbled. Chance put his starter on the ground as he stood and pulled the hoodie over his head. He tossed it to his friend, who placed it over the string to dry. The boys changed into dry clothes and hung their waterlogged clothing near the fire, the awkward blush never leaving Chance's face.

The heat of the fire slowly warmed the extremities of the boys, as they listened to the pattering of the rainfall. Chance released his hoothoot to curl up with him to try and warm his body. Adrian pulled his cyndaquil into his arms, following the example of his friend. Over the next few minutes, Adrian slowly shifted over to rest his shoulder against his traveling companion, hoping to share a bit of warmth. The redhead kept his eyes trained on his two pokemon, trying to hide the awkward blush that tinged his cheeks a light pink. They sat in relative silence for a few hours, waiting for their sleeping bags to dry enough to sleep in.

Neither boy was excited for another day of walking through the gloomy weather. Eventually, the boys and their pokemon were able to cuddle up in their now mostly dry sleeping bags, and allowed the falling rain to lull them to sleep.

The following morning the group set forth once again into the perpetual storm. They set a quick pace, hoping to escape the rain soon. They kept their brisk pace for the majority of the day, eventually breaking free from the rain during the early evening hours.

Once they emerged from the storm, another hour of walking brought them to the top of a hill, from which they could see smoke rising from the chimneys of Azalea Town. The sight gave the group a much needed moral boost after spending over a day being cold and wet. Even Snivy, who didn't mind the rain as much as her human companions, climbed to the top of her trainer's head to get a better view of the not so distant town.

"About damn time…" Adrian sighed as he stretched.

"For real." Chance reach up and scratched Snivy's chin. "I am so ready to have the sun shining again. Maybe now I can get some training in with Onix before we get to the gym…"

The boys continued their walk for a couple hours before stopping for a late lunch. Adrian volunteered to cook their meal, giving Chance an opportunity to start working with his new onix.

The large pokemon had healed nicely from the wounds given to him from his earlier assault. His trainer was very pleased to see how much energy he now had. Onix showed off its abilities to its trainer over the next half hour. It had a massive amount of power combined with a truly surprising amount of speed. Chance had it work with its rock throw attack, while Snivy trained by dodging the boulders thrown her way.

Once the meal was prepared the redhead sat down next to his traveling companion.

"Well, looks like your new friend will be a huge benefit to your team." The blonde grinned. "I'm sure the gym leader of Azalea Town won't be happy to see an onix come out."

"Why is that? What kind of gym is it?" Chance asked as he took another bite of his lunch.

"Bugsy is the leader we will be up against next. He uses bug-types. He is known to be one of the harder gym leaders in Johto." Adrian explained.

"Bug-types, huh? Well, with Onix and Hoothoot I shouldn't have too much of an issue." He rested his hand on Snivy. "You might have a bit of trouble though." He said to the grass snake pokemon. Snivy responded by pouting and looking away from her trainer, earning a laugh from both of the trainers.

The remainder of the evening was rather uneventful as the group made their way towards the town ahead. They entered the small town shortly after nightfall, heading straight for the pokemon center to rest for the night.

The next morning the group headed out of the pokemon center to explore the unfamiliar town. It was a small, simple looking town. The houses looked much more plain than the boys were used to seeing. The northern part of Violet City had looked like it stuck to traditional architecture, but it didn't really compare to Azalea Town. Everything appeared to be much more rustic in the forest town.

As the boys explored the town they saw many bug pokemon, as well as a large population of slowpoke. They were also shocked at how friendly the people of the town were. Several residents of the town stopped them and asked if they could give them any directions or if they needed anything. The quaint town made both of the boys smile, as the feel of the joyful aura spread through them.

The gym was easily found near the southern edge of the town, but the boys decided to do a bit more exploring before they took on the gym. The only other parts of the town that really caught the attention of the boys was the slowpoke well, and the pokeball maker, Kurt.

The group decided to stop in at Kurt's small shop and see the different kinds of pokeballs that were being produced. As they entered they saw an old man sorting through a basket of apricorns. The man looked up when he heard the door open and smiled warmly at the travelers that entered.

"Why hello there!" The man greeted joyfully. "How are you boys doing on this fine, sunny day?"

"Hello, sir. We are doing well. How about you?" Chance replied to the kind man.

"I am doing quite well. Thank you, my boy. Is there anything I can help you with today?"

Adrian spoke up this time. "Well, we heard that the famous pokeball maker, Kurt, owned this shop. We were hoping to see what kinds of pokeballs were for sale."

"Well, you are certainly in the right place then." The old man smiled. "I am the man you seek. My name is Kurt, what are your names, boys?"

The boys introduced themselves and chatted with the old man for a few moments. After exchanging pleasantries and telling the man a bit about their journey so far, Kurt pulled three medium sized boxes out from below the shop counter.

"These are the balls that I have ready at the moment." He smiled happily as he opened the three boxes revealing a large variety of pokeballs. He gave a brief explanation of each of the unique balls within. Chance purchased a lure ball and a friend ball, while Adrian chose a lure ball and a fast ball.

"So, you boys plan to take on Bugsy, eh?" The old man asked while handing the selected balls to the young trainers. The boys nodded in response. "It will be quite the challenge. He is certainly no push over. Many trainers underestimate bug-types, but he keeps his in top form. You better be ready for a real fight before you go take him on."

The boys looked at each other for a moment. "We are ready." Adrian said with confidence. "We don't plan on losing yet." The boys smiling brightly at the man who nodded in response.

"I believe you. I have faith that you two will go far. I will be keeping an eye out for you boys when the Silver Conference comes around again. Don't let me down." Kurt smiled once more at the boys. They thanked him once more before exiting the shop and heading south towards the gym.

"Well." The blonde started. "We keep hearing that this guy is strong. I guess it's time we check him out for ourselves." His bright blue eyes shone with confidence as they approached the entrance to the gym.

"Yeah!" His redheaded companion smiled. "Let's do this."


	9. Battle for the Hive Badge!

The young trainers pushed open the doors to the large gym ahead of them. As they stepped through the entrance they took in an unexpected sight. Within the gym was a forest. Trees were spread out within the building, leaving only a small path towards the center. The group walked along the narrow path until they emerged into a small clearing.

"Hello down there!" A voice called out. The boys looked around, but saw nobody.

"Hello?" Chance replied quizzically.

"Are you challengers?" The voice called again.

"We are." Adrian responded this time. The boys continued to scan the room, to no avail. Suddenly a form emerged from the treetops and landed smoothly on the grass before the group. Before them stood a young, lavender-haired boy, wearing green shorts and a green jacket.

"Well then, you are here to see me!" The boy said cheerfully. "I'm Bugsy, the gym leader here." The boys introduced themselves to the gym leader before he continued. "Alright, if you're ready, we will begin the match. It will be a 3-on-3 battle. Which of you will be first?" As he spoke his eyes showed nothing but confidence.

"Mind if I go first? You did get to take on Falkner first." Chance said the the blonde beside him.

"Well, I guess it's only fair." Adrian smiled in response. "But you better not lose!"

"Don't worry. I don't plan on it." Snivy stood on her trainer's shoulder and nodded with determination.

"Alright then, let's get started!" Bugsy announced excitedly. The two took their spots across from each other on the battlefield. Adrian took a seat on a bench off to the side behind the gym assistant who was going to be acting as the judge for the match. "Let's get this started! Spinarak, I choose you!" The lavender-haired boy shouted as he tossed out a pokeball. From the burst of red light emerged a small, green spider pokemon.

"Snivy, you wanna take the lead here?" Chance asked his starter.

Snivy jumped off his shoulder and darted onto the field. "Sni snivy!" She cried as she took a battle stance.

"Alright! Spinarak, start this off! Use poison sting!" The gym leader ordered. The string spit pokemon shot small purple needles from its mouth at the grass-type across from it. Snivy quickly jumped to the left to avoid the attack.

"Good job, Snivy! Now hit it with a vine whip!" The grass snake pokemon charged her opponent and shot two vines from her collar.

"Not so fast! Grab the vines with string shot!" Spinarak shot two threads from its mouth, each one connecting with a vine and sticking it to the ground. "Nice! Now use bug bite!" Bugsy ordered. Spinarak charged towards snivy, who was struggling to free its vines from the web. Spinarak's mouth began to glow as it charged the grass-type. Snivy struggled to dodge, but ultimately failed as the bug-type landed a hard hit. Snivy was launched backwards, rolling across the battlefield. She slowly got back up to her feet and stared down her opponent.

"You still okay, Snivy?" Her trainer asked. She nodded in response and let out a determined squeak. "Alright! Let's hit it with a slam!" The small pokemon charged at its opponent.

"Guess again! Spinarak, stop it with your string shot!" The bug-type shot another rope from its mouth at its foe.

"Snivy, stop and use leaf tornado to blow it away!" Snivy began to spin in the air while small leaves swirled around it. The string shot was blown back and then the tornado slammed into the spider pokemon. "Now go in for a slam!"

"Bug bite, Spinarak!" Bugsy yelled out. The two pokemon charged at each other. Snivy swung her tail at her foe, who fought back by biting at the tail. Both attacks landed causing each pokemon to get blown back from each other, rolling across the field towards their respective trainers.

"Both Snivy and Spinarak are unable to battle!" The judge called out. "The challenger and the gym leader may now select their second pokemon!"

Bugsy recalled his unconscious pokemon. "Alright, then I choose you, Kakuna!"

"Then I choose you, Hoothoot!" Both trainers threw out pokeballs, releasing their respective pokemon.

"Not a bad choice, but don't you underestimate my Kakuna." Bugsy let a confident smile spread across his face. "Kakuna, poison sting!" The cocoon pokemon shot a large spray of purple needles from its mouth.

"Hoothoot, dodge it and charge in for a peck attack!" Hoothoot dodged to the side and began to fly towards its foe, however, once it got close kakuna quickly rotated and launched another volley of poison stings. The attack hit Hoothoot head on, sending it backwards.

Adrian sat up straighter when he saw the rapid movement of the pokemon. Normally they were basically immobile, but this kakuna was able to change its direction in the blink of an eye.

Chance gritted his teeth as he watched the cocoon pokemon continually repel his pokemon's attacks by blocking with its poison sting attacks. As he watched the bug-type defending itself he noticed a gap in its movement. "Hoothoot, quick, attack from above!" Hoothoot darted into the air above its foe and quickly dove down towards it, preparing a peck attack.

"Kakuna, use string shot on the tree. Pull yourself away!" Kakuna did as its trainer ordered, but the flying-type used the speed from its dive to follow it, slamming into it from behind and then began assaulting it with a string of peck attacks. The cocoon pokemon quickly succumbed to the damage.

"Kakuna is unable to battle! Leader Bugsy may now choose his final pokemon!" The judge shouted.

"I guess it's time for me to stop holding back then." The leader said with a smile as he returned his kakuna. "Let's do this, Scyther!" Bugsy threw a pokeball high into the air, releasing a large, green mantis pokemon.

"No problem." Chance smiled. "Let's end this quick, Hoothoot! Use peck!" The owl pokemon charged its foe, who stood firm, staring at the flying-type.

"Now, slash!" Bugsy commanded when hoothoot approached. The mantis' arm swung so quickly that Chance wasn't even sure he saw it. Hoothoot was suddenly on the ground and in rough shape. "Finish it with fury cutter!" The large scythes on its arms began to glow white and it leapt towards the grounded owl with amazing speed, slashing at it three times before the judge called it.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle! Scyther wins the battle! The challenger may now choose his final pokemon!"

"Damn, that was fast…" Adrian muttered in awe.

"You did great, Hoothoot." Chance muttered as he recalled his pokemon. "Ready for this, Onix? Let's show them what we're made of!" Chance threw the pokeball as high as he could. Onix emerged from the ball with a powerful roar that shook the building, causing Bugsy to recoil for a moment.

"An onix, huh?" The gym leader said after regaining his composure. "We can handle that. Fury cutter!" Scyther's scythes began to glow once more as it charged.

"Use rock throw, Onix!" Onix slammed its large tail into the ground and launched several large boulders at the charging bug-type. Scyther easily dodged the rocks, jumping from one to the next as it continued to charge, eventually making contact with its glowing scythes. It took several swings at the rock snake pokemon, who took minimal damage from the assault.

"Keep it up, Scyther!" Bugsy ordered.

"I don't think so! Onix, screech!" Onix did as its trainer ordered and let out a deafening roar, stopping scyther's movements. Onix immediately followed this with another rock throw, which smashed into the bug-type. "Now bind it!"

Before Scyther could regain its composure, Onix wrapped its large tail around the pokemon and began to squeeze. Onix had its foe completely immobilized, as its arms were pinned to its body.

"Finish this up, Onix! Throw it and use slam!" The redhead shouted. Onix tossed the mantis pokemon, who bounced several times off the grass before rolling to a stop before its trainer. It started to stand but was hit hard by Onix's tail.

"Come on, Scyther! You can do it!" The gym leader cheered on his pokemon as it slowly tried to stand. Scyther got to its feet and glared at its foe once more. However, before either pokemon could make another move, Scyther collapsed to the ground once more.

"Scyther is unable to battle!" The judge called out. "Onix wins! The challenger, Chance, wins the match!"

Chance cheered happily as he ran up and embraced his pokemon, who gave a celebratory roar before lowering its head down to its awaiting trainer. Adrian walked over to congratulate his friend, while Bugsy walked over to a small machine and began to heal his pokemon.

The gym leader soon returned to his side of the battleground. "Well, is my next opponent ready? I don't plan to lose twice in one day." He grinned over at Adrian.

Adrian took his place on the battlefield as well after giving his confirmation that he was ready to go.

"Alright, let's start this off, Metapod!" Bugsy called out as he tossed out a pokeball. A green cocoon pokemon emerged this time.

"Alright, let's go, Tentacool!" The blonde trainer shouted as he tossed out his pokemon.

"Start this off with a tackle, Metapod!"

"Counter it with a bubblebeam!" The cocoon was shockingly agile as it jumped at its foe to tackle it, however, while in the air it got slammed hard by a stream of bubbles that exploded on contact. The water attack knocked the bug-type back across the field. "Now hit it with an acid attack!" The young trainer commanded. Tentacool sprayed a purple ooze from its mouth, which landed on Metapod, doing a large amount of damage. Before either trainer could react, Tentacool shot out another bubblebeam attack, finishing its opponent off.

The leader recalled his defeated pokemon. "Alright, it's time for Spinarak then!" He said as he tossed out his second pokemon.

"Tentacool, hit it fast with a bubblebeam!" The jellyfish pokemon launched another stream of bubbles, but they were countered with a poison sting attack. The two attacks met in the air and caused small explosions with every collision, nullifying both attacks.

"Bug bite, Spinarak!" Spinarak quickly jumped through the smoke from the explosions and charged at the water pokemon.

"Push it back with a bubblebeam!" Spinarak was hit hard by the water attack and thrown away from its foe.

"Alright, let's try poison sting again!"

"You use poison sting as well, Tentacool!" The two attacks once again nullified each other when they collided. The two pokemon continued to trade blows for several minutes before both pokemon collapsed, too exhausted to continue.

"Not bad. But you won't get past my Scyther." Bugsy smiled as he returned his worn out bug-type and sent out his final pokemon.

"You did great, Tentacool. Let's go, Nidoran!" Adrian tossed out Nidoran's pokeball. The small pokemon emerged and stomped its foot several times, challenging the large mantis. "Nidoran, hit it with horn attack!"

"Scyther, slash attack!"

The two pokemon charged each other and engaged in a dance of sorts. They traded horn attacks and slashes, trying to overpower their foe. Both pokemon dodged and landed several blows, but Scyther's speed was much greater, giving it a large advantage in this battle.

"Scyther, finish this with a fury cutter!" Scyther's scythes began to glow white and the speed of its attacks increased. It slammed its scythes into Nidoran, knocking it up into the air. As Nidoran fell it was hit with a final fury cutter, knocking it out of the match.

"Nidoran is unable to battle! The challenger may now choose his final pokemon!"

"Come on, Cyndaquil! Let's win this!" Adrian yelled as he called out his final pokemon.

"Scyther, we have to end this one fast. Fury cutter!" The gym leader commanded his pokemon once again.

"Smokescreen, Cyndaquil!" The fire-type began to spew a thick smoke from its mouth that obscured the field. Bugsy and Scyther were left completely blind as the smoke spread across the battlefield, stopping Scyther's advance.

"Scyther, use swords dance to blow the smoke away!" Scyther began to spin, creating a small whirlwind that began to blow the smoke off the field and causing it to dissipate.

Scyther stopped spinning as the smoke was almost completely cleared, from one of the remaining clouds of smoke shot a flurry of small orbs of fire. The attack smacked into Scyther doing a decent amount of damage, but not enough to slow down the mantis pokemon, who charged in retaliation. As it neared its foe its scythes began to glow a bright white once again.

"Cyndaquil, you have to dodge! Use ember again!" Cyndaquil began a series of dodges, avoiding Scyther's dangerous attacks. As Scyther took a low swipe, Cyndaquil jumped up and released a point blank ember attack into Scyther's face.

The bug pokemon recoiled from the attack, but Cyndaquil kept up the assault. Scyther was continually pelted by the balls of fire as it slowly backed away.

"Scyther, quick attack!" Scyther struggled to break free of the ember attack, but was eventually able to dodge off to the side, disappearing in a flash of speed. Scyther slammed into its foe, tossing Cyndaquil across the battlefield.

"Cyndaquil, get up!" Its trainer called out to it. "Use your own quick attack combined with ember!"

Cyndaquil and Scyther both began to charge each other and repeatedly slam into each other before breaking off and charging again. The entire time Cyndaquil was firing off its ember attack before it made contact with its foe. After a few of the quick attacks colliding, Cyndaquil charged again while firing off its ember, but as it ran a red aura of fire began to surround its body. It continued to charge as the aura burst into flames. Cyndaquil slammed into Scyther, throwing it back towards its trainer.

"What was that?" Adrian quietly asked himself. "Cyndaquil, think you can do that one more time?" His starter nodded at him as it charged the Scyther that had just barely gotten back to its feet. Flames erupted around Cyndaquil's body once more as it charged, this time the fire on its back grew as well, engulfing the tiny pokemon in what seemed like an inferno. Cyndaquil slammed into its staggered foe, sending it sprawling once more across the field.

"Scyther is unable to battle! Cyndaquil, and the challenger, Adrian, win the match!" the judge shouted at after he assessed the situation.

Cyndaquil ran at its trainer, jumping up into Adrian's arms and squealing happily as the blonde hugged it. Chance congratulated his friend on his victory while Bugsy helped his scyther to its feet. Once he had checked on his pokemon he approached the two victorious trainers.

"You both did a great job today. You both earned the Hive Badge." Bugsy grinned cheerfully at the young trainers before him. In his outstretched hands the boys saw two little red badges with black dots. They each took one and thanked the gym leader. "You both battled well today. I hope you both keep training hard and do well at the Silver Conference."

"We will both do our best. Thank you." Chance shook the leader's hand one last time before the young trainers headed back towards the pokemon center to prepare for the next leg of their journey.


	10. Travel Through the Ilex Forest!

The young trainers spent the evening after their victory at the Azalea Town pokemon center, where they let their pokemon have a much deserved rest. While at the center, Adrian learned from Nurse Joy that the move his cyndaquil had been using against scyther was flame wheel. He was very proud of his starter pokemon for learning a new move. The boys spent the majority of the evening planning the next leg of their journey and preparing for the relatively large distance between Azalea Town and Goldenrod City, which held the next gym.

The next morning the small group set off towards Ilex Forest. The forest was much larger than any forest they had traveled through thus far. It would take them at least a couple days to get through the entire thing. Chance was not pleased at the idea of being in the forest for such a long time, as it would limit his training time with his onix. Adrian was just glad that they wouldn't be walking through a storm this time.

The boys soon found themselves walking through the dense forest. Within the branches around them they spotted glimpses of all kinds of pokemon. Bug pokemon would sneak glances at the group as they walked below. Grass pokemon would occasionally walk across the path in front of them, a few friendly oddish even stopped to investigate the group. The Ilex Forest was clearly a treasure trove of pokemon in their natural state.

About three hours into their walk through the forest, as they were walking and listening to the pidgey cooing together in the sky trees around them they spotted a small pond, nestled within the trees. The small clearing appeared to be even more of a haven for the pokemon of the forest. They spotted many rattata, oddish, caterpie, pidgey, and so many other pokemon enjoying the sunshine, playing in the water, or just getting a drink. The serenity of the moment was a bit breathtaking at first.

"Lunch?" Adrian questioned lightly.

"Wouldn't it kind of disrupt the pokemon here?" His redheaded companion replied. "I don't want to be a burden on them…" As he spoke his eyes traveled over all of the pokemon enjoying themselves.

"Well, how about this, we will get a little closer and if they seem bothered we will keep walking. Deal?" The redhead nodded in response. The two boys slowly approached the little pond. Snivy watched the other pokemon closely from her perch on her trainer's shoulder. As they neared a few pokemon stopped to look at them, but for the most part they continued their activities unperturbed. The group continued to watch them as they unpacked their lunch onto the grass.

As they brought out the food the pokemon slowly became more interested in them. Several of the pokemon approached them, most of them slowly, but several young rattata ran over to the food the moment they could smell it. The boys released all of their pokemon to join them, minus onix, who couldn't comfortably fit within the area without smashing some trees and scaring the pokemon.

Chance reached a hand out towards one of the young rattata that had approached, offering it a chunk of bread from his sandwich.

"You want some, little guy?" He smiled at the little creature. The small rat sniffed the bread a few times before taking the offered bite. As it munched on the piece of bread the other rattata approached Chance, looking almost jealous that its friend got food and it didn't. The redheaded trainer tore another chunk off his bread and offered it to the second rattata. "Don't worry, little guy. I wouldn't forget you." He reached out and scratched behind the pokemon's ear as it ate.

Adrian couldn't help but stare at the sight before him. His friend was feeding a wild pokemon, and seemingly bonding with them as if it was no huge feat. It all just looked so natural. He continued to stare as several more of the forest pokemon began to move closer, each getting offered a piece of food, though Chance had swapped to offering some pokemon food rather than his sandwich.

"I've never seen anyone bond with wild pokemon so easily…" The blonde stated as his companion patted an oddish on the head when it approached. "You're really a natural at this, aren't ya?"

"Well, I grew up with pokemon." The redhead smiled. "I spent all day every day with pokemon, learning how to care for them and raise them. Ever since the day I was born my mom taught me how to be make friends with pokemon." Chance's blue eyes seemed to gloss over as his thoughts drifted to distant memories. The smile on his face broadened as his hand reached over to scratch his hoothoot's head. "This is what I was meant for." He let out a content sigh as he looked over the gathered pokemon.

The boys continued to eat and enjoy their picnic, Chance sharing the majority of his food with the wild pokemon. Adrian's eyes never left his kind-hearted friend. Eventually the blonde stood, startling a few of the pokemon for a moment.

"You know, I don't think I have ever seen you this relaxed…" The blonde mused. "But if I don't make you get up I don't think we will ever leave." The redhead smiled up at his friend.

"You say that like it would be so terrible." The redhead reached out to give a grape to a butterfree that had just recently landed with the group. The boys smiled at each other and slowly began to pack up. Adrian recalled his tentacool and nidoran, but decided to allow cyndaquil to remain out of its ball for a while longer. As the boys packed the pokemon that had gathered watched closely, still a bit apprehensive about the strange beings. Some of the younger pokemon continued to try and play with Chance and hoothoot the entire time. Snivy remained on her trainer's shoulder, not wanting the attention of the overly active pokemon.

Finally, Chance recalled his hoothoot and shouldered his bag, everything being stored away. The young rattata from before jumped up on his leg, wanting to play more. "Sorry buddy, but it's time for us to go." He smiled as he picked up the tiny rat. He began to walk over to the raticate that had remained on the edge of the clearing. "I'm glad you had fun today, little guy. Don't worry, we will come back to visit some time. Until then you make sure you keep your family safe, okay?" He smiled at the rodent as he set it down with its family. He bid the little pokemon farewell one last time before the group began walking once more. As they departed the pokemon in the clearing shouted out to them, some waving hands or paws. Chance smiled at the warm send off.

"Only you could get a bunch of wild pokemon to wave goodbye to you… I swear." The blonde laughed at his friend. The boys continued to walk along the narrow forest path, spirits high from their lunch encounter.

Several hours passed as they walked, occasionally one of the boys would point out a pokemon they hadn't encountered yet. At times they would stop and observe the pokemon, but mostly they just kept to their leisurely pace. Before long they came across an unfamiliar sight. As they rounded a bend in the small path they spotted another trainer ahead.

As they approached they got a better look at the trainer. The trainer was a female with light blonde hair with a few bright pink highlights. She wore a light red tank top and jeans with a rip in the left knee. In her arms was a round yellow object with black stripes. The girl appeared to currently be training two pokemon. She had a small pokemon with a leaf on its head, as well as a small monkey pokemon that were currently battling each other.

As the boys neared, the pokemon with a leaf on its head hit the little monkey with a vine whip, tossing it against a nearby tree and ending the sparring match.

"Not bad." Adrian spoke up, alerting the girl to their presence. "Your chikorita's reflexes are pretty quick." The girl quickly turned on her heels to find the source of the voice.

"Thanks!" She smiled back at the two boys. "You know it's rude to sneak up on people though!" She said in a playful tone.

"Sorry about that…" Chance muttered. "We were just making our way through the forest and caught the last bit of that sparring match of yours…" He blushed slightly as he explained.

"Don't worry! I'm just teasing. I was just working with Chikorita and Aipom a little bit because they are the newest members of my team." She smiled as she picked up her aipom.

"Well they both seem like rather capable pokemon, if you ask me. I'm Adrian and this is Chance, by the way." The blonde reached his hand out to the girl. She took his hand and shook it firmly.

"I'm Cassandra, but my friends call me Cassie. It's nice to meet you." She gave a broad smile as she greeted the boys.

"Well, Cassie, where are-" Adrian started.

"Cassandra."

"Wha… What?" The blonde boy stuttered.

"My friends call me Cassie. I don't really know you yet." She kept her playful tone the entire time she spoke to the boy.

"Oh… Well, Cassandra… Where are you headed? We are on our way to Goldenrod City currently to compete for our next gym badge." The blonde explained.

"Oh! You're going to be going up against Whitney then! She is one of the strongest gym leaders in the Johto region! I almost lost when I took her on." Cassandra smirked as she pulled out a badge case, revealing four badges.

"Oh wow!" Chance stepped forward to examine the badges she presented. Two of them were familiar, but the other two were new to the boy. "So you already beat Falkner and Bugsy. One of those is from Whitney. Who is the last one from?" The redhead asked.

"That last one is from Morty. He is a ghost user. I had to challenge him twice." Cassandra pouted at the memory.

"A ghost user, huh?" Adrian seemed to drift into his thoughts for a moment. "That will be a real challenge."

"It really is a pain. Not many of my pokemon could really damage them. But we managed." She reached down and pat her chikorita on the leaf.

"You never did tell us what you are doing in the middle of this forest, by the way." Chance said questioningly.

"Oh! Right. I am just headed home, currently. We just beat Bugsy, so we are going to stop back at my parent's place before heading off to Olivine City. My parents live just outside of Goldenrod City, so it is kind of on the way." She shifted the object in her arms as she spoke.

"What is up with the egg?" The redhead asked as Cassandra adjusted it to her other arm once again.

"Oh, this is an egg that was left at my parent's daycare that the trainer didn't want. It happens quite a bit, so I always take the eggs with me until they hatch. Then they either go live with my parents, join my team, or we find a good home for them. Most of my team came from eggs that were left at the daycare, actually." As she spoke her backpack began to wiggle and out popped a little yellow head. The pokemon let out a big yawn before taking in its surroundings.

"Well hey there, sleepy. Finally decide to join the party?" She asked the little pokemon from over her shoulder. "As you can see, some of them are a bit younger than others. Pichu here still likes to take too many naps." Pichu yawned once more before wiggling out of the backpack and climbing onto her shoulder.

"What kind of pokemon is in that egg, then?" Adrian leaned forward to inspect the egg as he asked.

"Well, that is a surprise!" Cassandra shifted the egg away from the boy as she spoke.

"Well, you said that sometimes you give eggs to other trainers. How do you choose trainers to give eggs to?" The blonde inquired.

"Well, they just have to prove themselves. If I see that a person is a caring trainer who will love and take care of the pokemon then they earn the egg. I also will usually have the trainer battle me if I think they are worthy. I don't want one of my eggs to go to a mediocre trainer." A slight smirk appeared on her face as she spoke.

"A battle, huh? Well, I would be up for that challenge." The blonde boy said eagerly.

"Well, how about this. We battle now, and if you win we will travel together until we reach my parent's house. If during that time you prove to me that you meet the other half of the criteria, then the egg is yours."

"You've got yourself a deal!"

The two blondes faced off. Both readying themselves for this challenge.


	11. Look to the Future, Grow from the Past!

**Took forever to get this out, sorry for that. Rewrote it a few times because these early chapter are bugging me. I have later chapters fleshed out so much better, just getting there is becoming frustrating... But I guess that is why I am doing this and getting practice in. :P**

 **using ' to indicate thoughts over speech, example: 'thoughts'**

* * *

"Alright! Shall we do a 2-on-2 battle then?" Cassandra asked as she took her spot across from Adrian in the small clearing they had found.

"Sounds good to me!" Adrian replied with confidence.

"Good! I have more badges, so as the more experienced trainer, I will choose first. Let's go, Aipom!" The blonde girl tossed a pokeball into the air and out popped the small purple monkey that the boys had seen her training before.

"Alright! Then I choose you, Nidoran!" Adrian threw his own pokeball, releasing his poison pokemon.

"Aipom, this one looks tough, but we got this! Hit it with a swift!"

"Nidoran, counter with a poison sting!" Aipom jumped into the air and with a swipe of its tail launched a shower of white stars at its foe, however, they were met with a spray of purple needles. The attacks met midair, exploding and canceling each other out. "Now hit it with horn attack!"

As aipom was landing from its jump, nidoran charged it with a glowing white horn. The attack hit hard before aipom had a chance to evade it. Aipon was sent flying backwards into a nearby tree.

"Are you okay, Aipom?" The monkey slowly stood and nodded. "Alright, then let's get back in there with a fury swipes!" The long tail pokemon charged once more, but before it made contact another spray of purple needles was launched at it, taking it out of the battle. Cassandra recalled her injured pokemon and thanked it for a job well done.

"Your aipom is really quick, once it gets a bit more power behind its attacks it will be a force to be reckoned with." Adrian encouraged his opponent.

"Thanks! This time I think I will use a more experienced member of my team though." Cassandra withdrew a heavy ball this time. "I hope you're ready! Come on out, Phanpy!" She tossed out her pokeball and in a burst of red energy and sparkles emerged a tiny elephant pokemon.

"Is your phanpy alright?" Adrian asked with a hint of concern in its voice.

"Of course he is!" Cassandra chirped. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… He just looks a bit pale. My brother had a phanpy when I was little and it was a darker blue than that…"

"Oh, don't worry about that! My phanpy is just extra rare!" She winked at the boys as she explained. "You see, he is what is known as a shiny pokemon. It means that it has an unusual color. It is a very rare phenomenon."

"Alright, if it isn't sick then I have no problem beating it!" The confidence returned to Adrian's voice as he spoke. "Nidoran, start this off with a horn attack!" Nidoran's horn began to glow as it charged the new foe.

"Take down, now!" Phanpy began to charge as well. The two pokemon slammed into each other, neither wanting to give an inch. Eventually, nidoran was over powered and tossed back by the long nose pokemon. Both pokemon had taken damage, but nidoran definitely took more than phanpy.

"Quick, hit it with poison sting!"

"Counter with rollout!" Phanpy curled into a tight ball and began to roll towards its foe, who shot a spray of purple needles out of its mouth. The majority of the needles bounced off, the rollout negating most of the damage, but a few of the needles hit their mark, causing some damage and poisoning the ground-type. The attack hardly slowed phanpy's advance though, it sped forward and slammed into the poison pokemon. Nidoran bounced off the ground a few times and slid to a halt. Nidoran was unable to continue the battle.

"Nidoran, you did a great job. Take a long rest."

' _Phanpy is a ground-type, so tentacool would have the advantage… but on land it can't move nearly as well as phanpy can… Cyndaquil doesn't have the type advantage but it would be able to dodge a lot easier…'_ Adrian thought to himself. Each of his remaining pokemon had huge pros and cons, and this choice would decide the battle.

"Alright." Adrian said, reaching for a pokeball on his belt. "Let's end this, Cyndaquil!" From the pokeball emerged the small fire mouse pokemon, who let out a loud cry and ignited its back.

"A fire-type, huh? Well, let's see what you have planned. Phanpy, take down!" The little elephant began to charge its opponent.

"Cyndaquil, use smokescreen!" Cyndaquil released a large cloud of dark smoke from its mouth. Phanpy charged through the cloud to where cyndaquil had been standing, but found nothing there. "Now, hit it with ember!" A barrage of small fireballs pelted phanpy from its left. The long nose pokemon shook off the damage from the ember, but then recoiled from a surge of poison that coursed through its body.

"Phanpy, we have to finish this now or it's all over. Rollout!" Phanpy curled into a ball once more and rocketed towards its foe.

"Cyndaquil, flame wheel!" Cyndaquil began to charge its foe, the flames on its back erupting into a raging inferno and surrounding its body. The two pokemon slammed into each other, both flying backwards towards their trainers. They both tried to slowly make their way to their feet, but only cyndaquil was able to stand. The damage that the poison had done to phanpy proved to be too much.

"Phanpy, return. You were wonderful." Cassandra smiled down at her pokeball after recalling her pokemon. She looked over at Adrian who had cyndaquil in his arms and was congratulating the fire pokemon on its victory.

"You did great, Cyndaquil! I'm so proud of you!" He held his starter in the air as it let out happy squeaks. Chance also congratulated the two on their victory.

"You did very well." Cassandra said as she approached the boys.

"Thanks! You did too! Your pokemon are really strong." Adrian smiled at the girl.

"Aipom still needs a lot of training, but that's okay. He is improving a lot. Battling somebody strong like you will do wonders for him." Cassandra picked up the egg and her backpack, including pichu who had found its way back inside, as she spoke. "Anyways, I believe I should hand this off to you. But remember, you only get to keep it if you prove your heart to me as a trainer." She held the egg out towards the blonde boy.

"Don't worry. I will show you that I raise my pokemon with love and respect." Adrian smiled as he took the little yellow and black egg. "I promise."

"So, are you going to tell us what is in here yet?" Chance asked as he inspected the egg.

"Nope! Half the fun is waiting and seeing what comes out!" Cassandra replied cheerfully.

"I guess..." The redhead said with a hint of disappointment.

"Come on, there is no point pushing for information. We will find out soon enough." Adrian smiled.

The boys and their new traveling companion began their walk once more. While they traveled they got to know each other a bit more. They spoke about their pasts, their current goals, their families, the pokemon they had, and many more topics during the next few hours. The boys learned that Cassandra actually had about twenty different pokemon, but only about half of them were ones she used to battle. Her collection had slowly been building for years due to the amount of eggs people left at the daycare with her family. In fact, the only pokemon she had actually captured was her phanpy.

The small group eventually decided to stop for the evening and set up camp. While Adrian made dinner, Cassandra took the time to work with her aipom and pichu a bit more. Chance used his hoothoot and snivy to help train the two younger pokemon, as well as themselves, by allowing Cassandra's pokemon to launch countless swift and thundershock attacks at the two, while Chance's pokemon practiced dodging the attacks.

Soon the meal had been prepared and the group sat to eat, making light conversation as they did so.

"So, Cassandra, you said you have a lot of pokemon, right?" Adrian asked. "Which was your first?"

"Well, that would be my marill." The blonde girl replied happily. "My parents gave her to me back when she was still an egg. She hatched into a cute little azurill back when I was about nine years old. What about you guys? Cyndaquil and snivy are your firsts?"

"No. Actually, my nidoran was my first. One of my brothers caught him for me when I was seven." Adrian smiled as he remembered the day he and his pokemon first met.

"What about you, red?" Cassandra questioned teasingly.

"Um… No, actually. Snivy wasn't my first."

"Really? I thought you said she was your starter when we met." Adrian asked, confused.

"Well, yeah. She was the pokemon Professor Juniper gave me to start my journey, but I had another pokemon before her. I just decided not to bring it with me."

"Why not? If you don't mind me asking." Cassandra leaned forward a bit as she asked.

"Well, it was given to me when I was born. We were really close for years, but then a few years ago it evolved. Once it evolved it liked to battle a little too much… It became too hard to control. It stopped listening to me and just wanted to fight all the time… So a friend is helping take care of it until I become a better trainer… A trainer that can take care of his pokemon." Chance stood and began to walk away slowly as he spoke. The last words were spoken over his shoulder. Adrian saw a glimpse of pain in his eyes as he turned away and began to walk into the forest, followed closely by snivy.

"Well, that got gloomy fast…" Cassandra spoke with a bit of a sigh.

"Yeah… I'm gonna go talk to him. Watch the fire?" Cassandra nodded in response to the request. Adrian walked away in search of his friend.

After several minutes of walking he still had not come across his companion. Adrian began to grow concerned before he heard a light chuckle from above him.

"You know you've walked under me three times now." Adrian quickly looked up, a bit startled by the sudden noise.

"Were you just planning to sit up there and watch me walk in circles?" The blonde asked sarcastically as he spotted his friend sitting on a branch above him.

"I could have, but I just told you where I was, didn't I?" The redhead responded with a laugh. "Snivy, wanna help him up, please?" The grass snake pokemon sent two small vines down that wrapped tightly around the blonde's was, helping raise him up to the branch as he climbed. Adrian sat next to his friend on the low branch.

"Are you going to be okay? Your mood dropped pretty suddenly…"

"I'll be fine… Just bad memories. I failed my friend." The redhead looked up to the distant stars as he spoke. "It just sucks knowing how bad I messed up…"

"You know," Adrian reach up and gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze. "We all make mistakes, and we learn from them. It's what we do. But you were a kid. How is a kid supposed to handle a pokemon that wants to fight nonstop?"

"I know… But if I had been a better trainer I could have helped it. The son of a champion… Failed with his very first pokemon. I should be better than that…" Chance pulled snivy into an embrace as he spoke.

"So you'll become a better trainer. You will work hard and learn how to handle a more experienced and wild pokemon like that. You will go back and be the trainer you need to be. You'll be the trainer you think you have to be just because you're the son of a champion…"

"What do you mean?" The redhead asked his friend.

"Well, you keep putting yourself on a damn pedestal. How are you supposed to learn if you think you have to be perfect at all times?" Adrian jumped down from the branch. "If you keep believing you are supposed to just know rather than taking the time to learn then you will never get to where you need to be." He looked up to his friend above. "Just be your damn self. Don't be your mother's shadow. Live for you. Learn for you. Become who you are destined to be. Not who your mom is." He turned and walked away.

Adrian quickly got back to their small camp and crawled into his sleeping bag. He didn't speak a word to the girl who was waiting for him. He just faced away from the fire and closed his eyes. Soon after Chance arrived back at the camp and did the same, pulling his snivy close to his chest as he curled up in sleeping bag next to Adrian's.

"Well fine then." Cassandra said with a huff. "Guess we are all just going to be emotional and go to bed then." She dowsed the fire and laid down dramatically in her bag across the fire from the boys, her pichu held tightly in her arms. Silence fell over the group, save the gentle crackling of the final embers slowly dying.

A small whisper broke the silence, just loud enough for Adrian to barely hear. "Thank you." The blonde rolled over to look at the source of the whisper, but the redhead had already turned to face away from him. Nevertheless, a small smile crossed his face as he turned to allow sleep to overtake him.


	12. The Glowing Egg! Only Time Will Tell!

The following morning started very awkwardly. Chance remained quiet and stuck to himself for the most part. Cassandra seemed to be a bit annoyed at the entire situation. While Adrian kept trying to get Chance to break out of his funk a bit more, hoping to get him to not let his past dictate his future.

They packed up their belongings and started their walk once more. They planned to exit the forest within the first half of the day, exiting onto route 34. Cassandra and Adrian led the group for the majority of the morning, while Chance remained a few paces behind his friends, only really paying attention to the snivy on his shoulder.

After a few hours of walking like this Adrian fell back to walk beside his friend.

"You okay?" His face showed the concern he had for his friend.

"I'll be fine, just thinking about what you said last night." A small smile crossed his face.

"I might have been a bit harsh… I mean, it is good to have a goal and everything, I just want you to live for yourself, not for your mom."

"I know… It is just something I have never thought about. I grew up being the son of a champion. My sister and I were raised with pokemon, and we were always kind of prodigies when it came to anything involving pokemon. I never thought about whether or not I wanted to be a champion, or if I was just working towards that goal because it's all I have ever known." He looked up into the branches, eyes wandering through them as if the answer was hidden within.

"Well, whatever you decide, I support you. I mean, either way, it sucks that your first pokemon rebelling so hard when it evolved, but you were a kid… You couldn't have known better back then. I am sure once you return home it will be different. Just look forward to that rather than letting that bad experience haunt you."

A genuine smile crossed the redhead's face this time. "Thanks. You're right. I have some thinking to do, but I can't let that single experience keep me from doing my best. I will get better and get my friend back." Snivy stood on her trainer's shoulder and patted his cheek lightly. "Thanks, Snivy. I know I can always count on you." He reached up and scratched his pokemon's back.

Adrian shifted the egg in his arms and patted his friend on the back before trotting back up to walk beside Cassandra, leaving his friend to think on things a bit more.

"So, how long until you think we are out of this forest?" Adrian asked the girl beside him.

"Should be about two or three more hours, I think. Then it is just another day or so until we reach my parent's house." Cassandra replied happily. She currently had her pichu in her arms, letting the baby pokemon nap as she walked.

"And Goldenrod City is just a few more hours past that, right?"

"Yup! And then you get to face one of the strongest gym leader's Johto has to offer! Well, at least, when she is in the right mood."

"Is Whitney really that bad? And the right mood?"

"Well, most trainers that challenge her already have a few badges, so she is okay with using her star pokemon. Her miltank has crushed a lot of foes. But, Whitney is known for also being kind of… Unique when it comes to gym leaders. She doesn't really like to lose, and often gets bored. So she makes up random rules whenever she battles, which she will sometimes not even do if she thinks it won't be fun."

"Random rules? Like what?"

"Well, the trainer before me had a full 6-on-6 battle with her, though he didn't get past her miltank. I followed and it was a double battle. Two of her pokemon at the same time against two of mine. I only managed to win because she forfeited the moment I defeated her clefairy. Her miltank probably could have still won the battle, but she was crying so hard that her clefairy had gotten hurt that she just couldn't continue… It was an interesting experience." The girl mused.

"How is somebody like that actually allowed to remain a gym leader?" Adrian questioned with a look of annoyance.

"Well, gym leaders are chosen based on a lot of things." The redhead said from behind, finally rejoining his friends. "Some inherit their gyms from family, some are former champions, and some are just kind of town heroes. It is rare that the league steps in and removes a gym leader. I mean, there is even a gym back in Unova that has three gym leaders. Triplets." He explained.

"That is crazy. I guess it does keep things interesting though…" Adrian replied.

The group continued to chat about Goldenrod City and the upcoming gym for the next few hours before they finally saw a break in the trees ahead. The moment they saw the trees starting to thin they broke into a run, wanting to feel the open world once again. The small group of travelers broke through the tree line and took in the wonderful sights before them. They saw fields that stretched off into the horizon, the bright blue sky, and a shimmering ocean off in the distance in the west. It was definitely refreshing for the group.

"Wow. Everything seems so beautiful." Chance marveled as he took in the sights.

"Well, anything would be after spending several days looking at trees." Cassandra laughed as she walked by. The boys slowly broke their gazes away from the world around them and trotted after their new companion.

The group continued their walk over the open fields, each allowing several of their pokemon to accompany them on the walk. The day remained rather uneventful. They passed a few groups of trainers who were headed different directions or training with their pokemon. Eventually, the sun began to descend in the sky, so they found a small cluster of trees to camp by for the night. Chance immediately called out his onix when they stopped for the night.

"Hey buddy." He greeted the large pokemon. "Sorry you've been cooped up for so long. Not much room to stretch in the forest." The rock snake stretched out and let out a low moan as its trainer patted its side.

"Damn. Little warning next time." Cassandra complained. "Scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry." The redhead laughed. "Just a bit impatient to let him out. Onix has been stuck in that ball for a few days now. Only fair to let him relax for a few hours before bed." He smiled as onix lowered his head so his trainer could hug him. Chance brushed his hand over the scar above his left eye.

"Why don't you spend some time with onix? I can set up your stuff while I cook." Adrian offered.

"You don't have to do that. I don't mind helping out." The redhead protested.

"Hey, you need this time as much as onix does. Go have fun." Adrian gently pushed his friend towards his pokemon as he spoke. Chance smiled and thanked his friend as he walked off with onix to train with it a bit and let it blow off some steam.

Cassandra helped her friend set up their camp and prepare their dinner, letting some of her pokemon play while they did. While she was stirring the pot that they had set atop the fire she heard a yelp of surprise from the blonde who had been washing his egg. She turned to see the egg glowing brightly in the boy's arms. Adrian looked up at her with alarm on his face.

"Well, I didn't expect that for a few more days…" She said softly.

"What is happening? Is it okay?" The blonde asked in a panic.

"Yes!" She laughed as she walked over to him. "Don't worry so much! It is hatching!" She reached down and brushed her hand across the egg as the glowing pulsed again. "It looks like we have a little while still. Maybe about fifteen minutes or so."

"Okay… Is there anything we need to do?"

"Just be patient. Relax. It will come in its own time." The girl smiled.

Adrian turned to his pokemon. "Nidoran, can you go get Chance please? I don't want him to miss this." The poison pokemon nodded and ran off towards the onix in the distance.

Several minutes passed while Cassandra spread out a blanket and laid the egg out in the middle. The two sat watching the glow of the egg pulse, Cassandra timing the gap between each pulse. Onix suddenly slithered over to the group, Chance jumping down from its head once it stopped. Nidoran jumped from his arms once he was safely on the ground.

"What's going on?" Chance asked worriedly.

"Don't panic so much! The egg is just hatching." Cassandra smiled at the redhead as he ran over.

"Yeah. I didn't want you to miss it!" Adrian didn't take his eyes off the glowing egg as he spoke to his friend.

The trio gathered around the egg, their pokemon gathering to watch as well. The next few minutes felt like hours to the group as the egg started to have a constant glow that slowly became brighter.

"Are you sure everything is okay? I feel like it shouldn't be taking this long…" Adrian glanced at his female companion for a brief second before his eyes locked on the egg once again.

"Everything is going fine. It should be any second now."

As if on cue the glowing intensified once more, then suddenly subsided. As the blinding glow faded the group stared down at where the egg once was. In its place stood a small yellow and black pokemon with two horns that looked like a plug. The little pokemon looked around at the being that had gathered around it.

"Wow… It's an elekid!" Adrian's eyes showed nothing but joy as he reached one hand out to the baby pokemon. "Hey there, Elekid." He said softly. The electric pokemon reached its own hand out and poked the outstretched hand once before jumping towards the boy's chest. Adrian caught the little pokemon and embraced it in a tight hug. From his arms he introduced the new pokemon to his friends and their teams.

Cassandra and Chance watched the spectacle unfold. Adrian and elekid seemed to instantly click, elekid never wanting to be more than a few feet from the boy.

"Well, I guess I don't get much of a say in whether or not he gets to keep elekid now." Cassandra laughed. She watched elekid run after the blonde boy who trotting across their small camp to grab something from his pack.

"Yeah, elekid seems to want to be close to him at all times." Chance smiled as elekid jumped onto Adrian's back as he knelt over to rummage through his belongings.

"That is kind of normal for freshly hatched pokemon. The first trainer they bond with will generally be stuck with them for a good while." Pichu nuzzled into her chest as she spoke. "See?" She laughed.

Finally, Adrian popped back up from his bag with a brand new pokeball. He walked over to his friends, elekid staying by his leg the entire time.

"Cassandra… I have to ask… Did I prove myself worthy to keep it?" He stared down at the little pokemon as he spoke.

She laughed. "Of course you can keep it. I wouldn't dream of trying to pull it away from you now. I mean, look at it. You're basically its mother now." Adrian thanked her before kneeling down next to the baby pokemon.

"Hey elekid, wanna stay with me?" As he asked he held the pokeball in front of the electric pokemon. Elekid stared at the ball for a minute before poking the center and being absorbed into it. It wiggled briefly before going still. Adrian smiled at the ball for a moment before calling elekid back out to spend more time with everyone.

The group spent the evening playing with elekid and helping elekid bond with their other pokemon. Adrian had a smile on his face the entire evening. Eventually passing out on top of his sleeping bag with elekid asleep on his chest. His excitement for the next leg of their journey now coming to a peak as a new friend joined his team.


	13. The Pokemon Daycare! Goldenrod Ahead!

**Sorry for the long delay, uploaded the document a few days ago but forgot to publish it! . At least that means the next part will come much sooner. Hope you enjoy a small glimpse into the lives of one of my characters. About to get towards the more exciting chapter (Which I already have written, because I am weird and wrote them out of order _ )**

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"Alright, Onix, use dig!" The giant rock snake pokemon quickly burrowed into the ground, causing the nearby area to shake violently for a moment. Cassandra quickly awoke and let out a scream. As she took in her surroundings she saw her two new traveling companions a few yards away laughing hysterically at her.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Thought you'd never wake up!" Adrian grinned.

"What the hell?!" She screamed as she stumbled to her feet. "Why would you do that?"

The boys laughed as she slowly made her way over. "Well," Chance started. "We tried a few times to wake you up, but you just weren't having it. You even hit poor cyndaquil on the nose."

"Yeah, we kinda figured causing a small earthquake would be the safest way." The blonde explained with a large smile.

"Sometimes I really hate you guys." Cassandra whined. Pichu jumped up and grabbed on to her shirt, climbing into her arms to cuddle with her. "At least you're nice to me, Pichu." She smiled at the little electric mouse.

Once Cassandra was up and ready for travel the group recalled the majority of their pokemon, save for elekid, pichu, and snivy, and began their journey once more. They knew they would reach the daycare where Cassandra lived later this afternoon, which gave her an extra bit of energy for the day, although Chance swore it was due to the extra hour and a half of sleep.

During their walk elekid tended to stay close to its trainer, but it spent a lot of time running circles around the group. The little pokemon certainly had way more energy than any of the humans present. Pichu joined elekid to play with it whenever the group would stop for a break. Snivy, however, remained on her trainer's shoulder, watching the two and occasionally giving out a bored yawn. Chance took the chance to tease his pokemon when it yawned at the baby pokemon, laughing at how stuck up she acted at times.

The sun was starting its descent into midafternoon before the group crested a hill and Cassandra let out a yell.

"That's it! That's my house!" She cheered as she began running down the hill towards what looked like a small farm up ahead. The boys took a moment to glance at each other before racing down the hill after their friend. They only caught up once they had reached the fence that surrounded the perimeter of the small home.

Now that they were closer the boys took in the home a bit more. The actual house was a soft yellow color, with white shutters to match the fence. The house was a two story farm house, but everything else within the fence proved a bit more interesting. Surrounding the home were various miniature biomes created for the pokemon they took care of. On either side of the house was a small pond, one of which had a beach created by it. The back edge of the fence wrapped around a cluster of about fifteen trees that created a small forest for the pokemon.

Cassandra opened the gate to the fence and quickly jogged towards the front door of the house. Once she reached it she turned to her friends and beckoned them to hurry up. The boys caught up with her at the door to the house and she threw it open and trotted inside.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Cassandra yelled out as she walked into the foyer. She was instantly met with a reply from a woman, presumably her mother.

"Cassandra?! Is that you? You're home?" As the voice replied the group heard the patter of feet on the wooden floor. From around a corner emerged an older woman wearing a green dress. Her light gray hair was held up in a bun, and within her arms was a small eevee. "Oh, honey! It is you! And you brought friends!" She walked over and wrapped an arm around her daughter.

"Hey, mom." Cassandra smiled. "How are you and dad?" She returned the warm embrace of her mother. Pichu popped out from her pack and let out a squeak in greeting to the older woman.

"We are doing great. Dad is right outside with a few of the babes right now. Who are your friends?" She pulled away from her daughter and extended her hand to the boys.

"These are Chance and Adrian." Cassandra explained. "I met them in the Ilex Forest. Adrian here earned the elekid egg that I had with me." Cassandra reached out and pet the baby pokemon in the blonde's arms.

The group made their way to the back of the house and out of a small door that led into the back yard. As they emerged they were greeted by an older bald man in a red plaid shirt. He was sitting on the ground with a small watering can, pouring water on a small green seed pokemon. Around him were several other grass-type pokemon that were waiting for their turns to be showered in the water.

"Hey Dad! How are ya doing out here?" Cassandra greeted the older man.

"Oh! Hi, sweetie!" The old man beamed up at her from his spot on the ground with the pokemon. "I am doing great! Just making sure sunkern and the others get a nice little shower." The grass pokemon around him all let out cries of greeting towards the new guests.

Cassandra took the time to introduce her dad to her two friends, as well as update her parents on her travels. Her parents updated her on the daycare and how things were going at the house. As they talked Cassandra's mother brought out a few more watering cans and handed them to the trainers. The three all joined Cassandra's dad in sprinkling water across the grass pokemon that were gathered around them.

"So, mom, how are the rest of my pokemon doing?" Cassandra asked while hugging a hoppip.

"Oh! They are doing fine! I think they are just out by one of the ponds now. Let me go get them." She said happily as she walked around the corner of the house and out of sight.

Cassandra took the chance to toss out the five other pokeballs she had on her belt, allowing her other pokemon to join pichu. From the large flash of red light emerged her phanpy, aipom, marill, teddiursa, and chikorita. Pichu jumped down from her pack and began to greet its friends. The six pokemon began to run around their trainer and her father and cheer happily. The daycare pokemon joined them and began to play with their friends.

Soon, Cassandra's mother returned from around the house with three other pokemon in tow. A seel and a vulpix followed the woman, while a shellder rested in the woman's arms.

"Here you are, sweetie!" The old woman said as she neared the group. "The rest of your battling team." She set shellder down with its friends, who greeted their old friend warmly. Seel and vulpix both ran over to Cassandra to give her affection as well.

"They have all been doing rather well while you were gone." Her dad explained. "Seel and shellder have been practicing aurora beam every day." He reached out and patted the seel on its head.

"Really?" Cassandra smiled at her pokemon. "I am so proud of you guys!" She sat on the ground with her group of pokemon. Chance and Adrian soon joined her, releasing their own pokemon to play with the daycare pokemon, at the request of Cassandra's mother.

The group enjoyed a relaxing afternoon playing with the pokemon at the daycare and enjoyed a home cooked meal for once. Cassandra's parents made sure to take the time to tell the boys a few embarrassing stories from when she was a little girl, much to her chagrin. Once dinner was complete and the dishes were washed the group sat out on the porch, watching the pokemon play together.

"So, Cassie dear, are you going to take any different pokemon with you when you leave again?" Her mother asked. "I know vulpix has been getting really antsy sitting around here. She is ready to get out and see more of the world." The little fox pokemon nuzzle her trainer's leg at this. Cassandra picked her up immediately.

"That true, vulpix? You ready to see some action?" She smiled at her pokemon, who nodded in reply. "Alright. It's a deal then!"

"Which pokemon will we get to entertain for a bit, then?" Her father piped in.

"Well… I guess I will leave teddiursa behind for now. He is already really strong so he can take some time off training. But I might have to call and have him sent to me when I reach the next gym." The blonde mused, brushing the tails on her vulpix as she thought.

Her father reached into his pocket and withdrew a pokeball, tossing it to his daughter. Cassandra did the same, tossing teddiursa's ball to her dad. The group continued playing with their pokemon, even allowing onix to come out and visit in a larger area of the yard. As the afternoon grew to dusk Cassandra's parents cooked dinner and offered the boys the chance to stay at their house for the evening before heading out towards Goldenrod City in the morning.

When morning came the next day Adrian was surprised to find his companion no longer sleeping on the floor of the living room beside him. He wandered the house for a moment before coming to the conclusion that Chance was no longer there. He quietly exited the back door of the house to see his friend training with onix in the distance. The large pokemon seemed to be smashing through several large boulders while its trainer watched. The blonde slowly made his way over towards the duo, going unnoticed largely due to the amount of noise the training was causing.

"What are you doing out here so early?" He asked the redhead as he approached.

"Just getting in some more training with onix." Chance replied with a smile. "I mean, he has only actually been in a single battle with me. Now that we have room to train we have to take every chance we can get." Onix bent down to its trainer, who responded by patting its nose.

"Well, you're not wrong. But you two are really close. With how little time you've actually gotten to work with it, it's actually kind of impressive." The blonde smiled. Onix reached its head up into the air and let out a low moan.

"What can I say? Onix and I just really clicked." Chance leaned against the giant pokemon, resting his head back and looking up at the pokemon's head that loomed above him. The group stood in silence for a moment before Adrian spoke once more.

"Ya know, if we don't head back pretty soon we will miss breakfast."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Snivy is probably worried by now too."

"Knowing your snivy I doubt she is even awake yet." Both boys laughed at this. Chance recalled his onix and the pair walked back towards the small house.

When the boys arrived back at Cassandra's house they walked in on their companion and her father preparing breakfast while her mother sat the table. Snivy was where she was left, asleep on a pillow in the living room. The boys joined Cassandra in the kitchen and assisted her family in preparing their meal. Once the table was set and the food was served the group began to talk about the next step of the journey once more.

"So," Cassandra's father began. "You boys plan to take on Whitney tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir. The sooner the better." Adrian smiled at the older man.

"Good luck with that one." The old man grinned. "My Cassandra managed to beat her, but she takes after her mother when it comes to skill. Her ol' ma is the one who ended my journey way back when. Beat me three times in a row."

"So she is really that powerful? I feel like everyone I talk to says that she is one of the strongest leaders in this region…" Chance said nervously.

"Well, she got her miltank from her mother when she was only about five years old." Cassandra's mother explained. "They have been together for so long that they are basically perfectly in sync at all times. Miltank is a very powerful pokemon."

"Well," Adrian started, turning to Chance. "At least you have onix, who is super powerful. You should be fine. It will take a lot of strategy for me to get past her."

"Well, Cassandra, you said she forfeited the match against you, right?" Chance questioned.

"Yeah. She has a soft spot for her clefairy, and the moment I took it down she called it all off. But if it hadn't been a double battle, I don't know what would have happened. I guess the best strategy would be to try and keep as many of your pokemon as healthy as possible until that miltank comes out. You'll have to wear it down." She explained.

The group continued talking and strategizing throughout the early morning, but soon decided that the time to depart was coming quickly. They wanted to get out on the road before the sun was too high. The group thanked Cassandra's parents before starting out on their journey towards Goldenrod City once more.


	14. Disappointments and Water Gems!

The sight of Goldenrod City was a huge change from what the group had become accustomed to. The city was the largest on in the Johto region and was a bustling metropolis. The crowds and noise of the city was a bit much for Adrian, who was used to the quiet of Cherrygrove City. Chance, however, felt right at home. He was used to the intensity of Nimbasa City. He preferred to the solitude of the forests around the town, but at times being able to lose yourself within the noise of the crowds helped him get away from the stresses of life. He was feeling that today.

As they walked into the large city, they admired the skyscrapers that loomed above. Once they were within the city the tops of the buildings almost blocked out the sky from their view. Chance soon noticed that Adrian was acting a little odd.

"Hey, Adrian, you feeling alright? You look a bit off…" The redhead asked his friend.

"I- I'm fine. Just feeling a bit claustrophobic, I guess." Adrian replied with a blush. "I've never been in a city this large before. The largest city I have ever visited before was Violet City…"

"Really?" Cassandra asked with a bit of surprise on her face. "I come to Goldenrod like once a week, at least. Well, at least before I started my adventure. It's a really great place to explore!"

"Yeah, I grew up in a city that was a bit like this one." Chance explained. "It felt overwhelming at times, but I was always able to get lost in the city and let my mind escape when I needed it… It really isn't that bad once you get used to it." He rested his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I guess… Everything just feels like it is closing in. I have never seen this many people." His eyes darted around as he spoke. Cassandra grabbed his hand and began to trot ahead, dragging him with her.

"Come on, I have an idea!" She said with a smile. "There is a park up ahead. It's small, but it will give you a chance to gather your thoughts where it is a bit quieter."

The group hurried forward, weaving through the crowd as best they could. At one point a passerby bumped into Chance and almost knocked snivy off his shoulder, but she was able to grab his shirt and swing back up, showing how nimble and graceful she was.

They soon found themselves in a small clearing surrounded by a few trees, a tiny pond in the middle. The park was scarcely populated, only a few people with their children or pokemon. Adrian walked over to the small pond and plopped down on the grass, laying back to look at the sky.

"See, this feels better." He said with a sigh. His redheaded companion joined him in the grass.

"Just take a minute to breathe and relax, but once you feel better we gotta keep moving. We can't sit here forever or you two will never get to face off against Whitney!" Cassandra said with a small frown.

"Don't worry, Cassandra. He will be fine in a minute." Chance smiled down at the boy beside him, who responded in kind.

They remained in the relative peace of the park for about half an hour before starting to make their way through the large city once more. Adrian kept close to Chance while they walked, finding a bit of comfort in the fact that his friend was near. They quickly weaved through the city, using Cassandra as a guide to locate the Goldenrod gym.

It took roughly half an hour to get out of the busy shopping district of the city and locate the gym. The outside of which looked rather plain, which was fitting for the normal-type gym. They rushed towards the gym the moment it was in sight, however, they were met with instant disappointment. Plastered across the door was a notice from the gym leader. The notice informed the group that the gym leader was currently away from the gym and would be gone for about two weeks.

"Two weeks?!" Cassandra groaned loudly. "I can't wait that long… I have things to do." She sighed.

"Well, does it say when it was posted?" Adrian asked. "For all we know she could be back tomorrow…"

"The note doesn't say…" Chance mumbled while reading over his friend's shoulder. "What should we do?"

"Well, I don't want to be rude… But I can't just sit around for two weeks waiting for you guys… I have a lot of training to do if I want to be ready for the Silver Conference." Cassandra looked at the ground as she spoke, attempting to hide the guilt in her eyes.

"Hey, we understand." Chance said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We understand it doesn't help you to hang out in a city you've already conquered."

"Yeah! No problem at all. If you want to continue without us we can always catch back up at the Silver Conference." Adrian said with a smile.

"Are you guys sure? I feel like kind of a jerk…" Her frown deepened.

"We promise. It's no big deal. If you don't do what is best for you then you will doubt yourself if you don't do well at the league." Adrian explained. "Go ahead. Go train." He said with a smile.

"Alright…" She said slowly. She finally turned her gaze back up, and was met with a smile from both of her friends. She gave a quick nod. "Right! Alright! You two better not disappoint me though! You both better make it to the conference! I am headed to Olivine City, maybe we will see each other soon if Whitney returns quickly."

"Count on it." Chance grinned. "We don't plan to get left too far in the dust."

"Yeah, you better take every chance to train that you can get now. We are coming for ya once we hit the league, Cassandra." Adrian said with a smirk.

"Cassie." The blonde replied.

"What?" Both boys said with a bit of a dumbfounded looked.

"My friends call me Cassie, so get used to it." As she spoke she walked past the boys, waving over her shoulder to them. They had made their promise to meet again at the Silver Conference, and she was going to make sure that they both had to earn a victory against her.

The boys looked at each other for a moment, both smiling a bit.

"Well then… Now what?" The blonde asked slowly.

"Well," Chance said, scratching snivy's chin. "I guess the first thing we do is try and figure out how long Whitney has been gone. Right?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Think the pokemon center will know?"

"We have as good of a chance of finding out anything from Nurse Joy as we do anyone else. Let's try it." The small group made their way a few blocks over towards the pokemon center, where they quickly learned that Whitney had left about two days ago, however, the last time she had left the gym she was gone for twice as long as her note said. The news hit hard for the boys, as it was a large roadblock for their journey. They were unsure if they should continue, skipping the gym for now, or try and wait around for a few days to see if the gym leader would return early.

"Man… Two weeks. Maybe even longer. How is it fair for a gym leader to just disappear for that long?!" The blonde yelled, venting his frustration.

"Hey, don't worry. Nurse Joy said she could also be back any day. We can hang out for a few days and get some more training in. With how strong everyone keeps saying she is, the extra training couldn't hurt us, right?" The redhead replied, trying to reassure his friend.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed. "Besides, it wouldn't be bad to stay in one spot and relax a little for a few days. Getting through that forest was tougher than I thought. My whole body aches still…"

"So, what I am hearing is that we need a beach day?" The redhead grinned. He was met with a puzzled stare. "Come on, we saw the ocean in the distance when we entered the city. We can go check into a hotel and go relax on the beach for the day."

"Ya know, that really doesn't sound like a bad idea. Let's do it!" The blonde smiled back at his friend.

The boys made quick work of locating a hotel to stay at for a few days, choosing one that was about halfway between the gym and the ocean, allowing them the ability to check the gym daily without a huge walk, but also spend a decent amount of the next few days on the beach. Once they got to their room they immediately changed and headed out towards the beach for a relaxing afternoon.

Once they reached the beach they found a relatively unpopulated area to release their pokemon to relax, minus onix who was too large to comfortably spend time on the beach. Adrian's tentacool was loving the chance to swim around in the ocean with its trainer. Adrian also took some time between swimming to practice with his elekid, who still had not been able to produce an electric attack.

Chance spent much of his time hiding under an umbrella that had been set up on the beach for guests, hiding his pale skin from the sun's rays. When he wasn't hiding from the sun and watching snivy sunbathe he spent some time swimming with Adrian and tentacool. It was while he was in the water that he spotted something glimmering under the surface.

"Hey, do you see that?" He questioned his friend, nodding his head towards the reflection from below.

"Yeah." The blonde nodded. "It looks kind of like a gem stone. Maybe it's a pearl or something. Want tentacool to go check it out?"

"It isn't too deep here, we can go check it out ourselves, really." The redhead instantly dove below the surface. He was followed quickly by his companion and tentacool.

They swam straight down for a moment, and about halfway down Chance could clearly make out what the reflection was coming from. A staryu was laying in the sandy ocean floor below them. Chance quickly motioned for his friend to surface so they could speak.

"I want it!" He said as they surfaced. He was met with a laugh from his friend.

"Yeah? And how do you plan to catch it way down there?" Adrian laughed.

"I can get snivy to pull it up and throw it towards the beach. If hoothoot and tentacool can help us keep it corralled until snivy gets back to the beach we should be fine."

"Well, I am willing to try it if you are. Let's get snivy out here." The boys nodded at each other and put their plan into action.

Within minutes Chance was swimming above the staryu with snivy standing atop his head. Hoothoot, tentacool, and Adrian were closer to the beach, but still in the water, waiting to help keep staryu in the shallow water.

"Alright, snivy. Go ahead and use vine whip to grab staryu and reel it in!" Snivy attempted to grab the water pokemon below, but found its vines fell short of reaching the pokemon. Chance remedied this by telling his pokemon to get ready to dive. Snivy held onto her trainer's hair as they dove a few feet below the water's surface, the small grass-type quickly threw out her vines again and successfully grabbed the resting pokemon. The moment her vines wrapped around staryu, Chance shot back towards the surface. Once they were above the water once more, Snivy tossed staryu with all her might towards the beach.

Staryu splashed down into the shallow waters, but quickly tried to swim back out to sea. However, it was met by resistance from the team that was left up there to keep it close. Chance swam as quickly as he could to the beach, where snivy hopped off his head and into the shallow water, where she grabbed staryu once more and tossed it out of the water completely.

"Good job, snivy! Now hit it with a leaf tornado!" Chance yelled as he ran through the shallow water to join his pokemon.

Before staryu could recover from hitting the sand it was struck with the swarm of glowing leaves, getting tossed even further back on the beach. Snivy continued the assault by opening her mouth and creating a small green ball, which it then launched at the water pokemon. The orb struck its target, hitting it for a large amount of damage. Chance quickly followed this by throwing his lure ball at the injured pokemon. The ball wiggled for a moment before clicking.

Chance ran up and grabbed the lure ball off the ground, cheering loudly at his new capture, as well as how well his starter pokemon performed. Snivy ran up and jumped into her trainer's arms, sharing a tight hug with him.

"Snivy! You did fantastic!" The redhead praised his pokemon. "That last move was energy ball, right? When did you learn that?" He questioned the grass snake, who replied with a high pitched squeak and a small shrug.

Adrian congratulated his companion on the new capture, and cheered on snivy for the new attack. The group spent another hour or so on the beach before returning to their hotel and having dinner, deciding to continue the relaxation. That evening, Chance called out his staryu to try and get to know it a bit. The pokemon didn't seem to have too much personality yet. It seemed a bit shy, but it was hard to tell due to the lack of facial features. Overall, the boys were happy with their day. The much needed relaxation really seemed to get their minds off of the disappointment about the gym leader being absent currently. They were ready to see what the next few days would bring their way.


	15. National Park Rivalry Battle!

**Been awhile! I have been bad with updating lately, which I apologize for. Been doing a lot of traveling lately due to work, and will be again later this week. But this time I will be bringing a laptop to write on since mine broke! So hopefully a few updates next week. (HOPE!) Enjoy 3**

* * *

The next few days were rather uneventful, as the boys just spent time training their pokemon and relaxing on the beach. Further north in the city they found a much larger park that provided enough room for Chance to even work with his onix, which he was very pleased with. His newly captured staryu was also fitting in pretty well with his team. The pokemon was quiet for the most part, but showed a lot of energy whenever it was training or battling.

Adrian spent his training sessions allowing the majority of his team to just work on powering up their attacks, while he worked with elekid on trying to produce electricity. The baby pokemon had started to show small sparks between its horns, but nothing that could do any damage in a battle yet. Throughout the training his cyndaquil was showing vast improvements with his flame wheel. The power of the attacked seemed to almost double during the past week, as the wheel was about twice the size once it was produced.

Each day the boys checked the gym at least twice. Once right in the morning, and once just after lunch. Thus far they were met with disappointment each time they visited, which they kind of expected. It was up to Chance to keep their spirits high, pointing out how much stronger their teams were already looking with the extra few days of training. They hadn't trained this hard since their journey began, and it really was showing off.

On the fifth day of their stay in Goldenrod City, they decided to head just north of the city and visit the National Park. The park was home to a large variety of bug and grass pokemon, which the boys were more than willing to check out. However, the biggest draw was that it was kind of a haven for trainers to stop, train, and battle with each other. The two boys had done some practice battles over the past few days, but they had only been battling each other, which was becoming stale by now.

The group made their way to the large park in late morning hours, hoping to spend the majority of the day battling and training. They were in luck, as when they entered they saw many trainers scattered about the park. Some of the trainers were battling, some training, and others were just relaxing with their pokemon and having a pleasant morning. The boys would have plenty of trainers to challenge here.

Adrian wasted no time challenging his first trainer. A girl just a little older than himself, named Lacey, would be his opponent. She chose to use her sunflora, allowing Adrian to counter with his cyndaquil. Adrian had the type advantage, but he was nervous about fighting a fully evolved pokemon.

"Alright, Sunflora, let's get this started with a razor leaf!" Lacey called out. The sunflower pokemon swung each of its arms, hurling large leaves at the fire mouse.

"Cyndaquil, dodge it and use ember, quick!" Adrian countered. The little fire pokemon jumped over the leaves as they approached, spraying embers from its mouth towards its foe as it landed. The grass pokemon took the attack head on, causing a lot of damage.

"Sunflora, set up a sunny day!" Its trainer ordered. Sunflora's petals began to glow for a second as the sunlight above seemed to intensify. "Now use synthesis!" The pokemon responded by glowing a bright green as it healed the damage cyndaquil had caused it.

"Cyndaquil, we have to stop it! Use flame wheel!" The fire mouse charged its foe, building up the flames that surrounded its body as it ran.

Lacey grinned as she saw her opening. "Sunflora, grass knot!" Cyndaquil was suddenly sent rolling across the ground and past its foe. Neither cyndaquil nor Adrian had seen the small tangle of grass appear and trip the fire pokemon, leaving both a bit confused about what had just happened.

"Cyndaquil, you have to get up, quick!" Adrian yelled out to his pokemon.

"Don't let it! Use mega drain!" Green tendrils of energy appeared from the grass-type that quickly latched onto cyndaquil and began to drain energy from it. The little pokemon yelled out in pain as the energy was sucked from its body.

"No good… We can't over power it… That's enough! I surr-" Adrian was cut off when cyndaquil began to glow a bright light, reminiscent of when elekid hatched from its egg. Adrian watched in awe as his cyndaquil grew, almost doubling in size. The bright light suddenly faded, leaving a newly evolved quilava where cyndaquil had stood. Both boys, as well as Lacey, stood in a stunned silence for a moment.

"That doesn't change a thing! Sunflora, finish it off! Petal dance!" Lacey commanded.

"Not so fast! Quilava, use your flame wheel once more!"

Quilava's body suddenly erupted into a blazing inferno as it turned and charged its foe once more. It was about halfway to the grass-type before a shower of glowing flower petals began to berate its body, however, the large flame wheel acted as a barrier, burning most of the petals to ash before they made contact. Quilava leapt into the as it drew near, slamming into sunflora's face with a full power flame wheel. Sunflora was instantly knocked out of the battle, much to Lacey's chagrin. Lacey recalled her pokemon and approached the victorious boy.

"Not bad." She said as she offered her hand. "If it wasn't for evolution and quilava's blaze ability I would have had you though." Lacey laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder at this.

"Yeah, for sure!" Adrian smiled as she shook her hand. "I was ready to call it quits because I didn't want cyndaquil to get any more hurt. I really wasn't expecting it to evolve." He bent down on one knee and began to rub his starter pokemon's head. "I'm very proud of you, buddy."

The group celebrated quilava's new evolution for a bit longer before moving forward to find their next battle. Soon, Chance found himself in a battle of his own. He found himself battling a young boy and his yanma. Chance chose his hoothoot to match the bug-type pokemon.

The battle lasted longer than Chance had assumed it would, given the type advantage he and hoothoot had. However, yanma's speed proved to be troublesome for the owl pokemon. Although they ended up with a victory, hoothoot had trouble keeping up during the battle. This battle showed the two that they needed to begin training hoothoot's speed more in the time they had left before their next gym battle.

The next few hours continued on in this way. The boys each fought several trainers, allowing each of their pokemon to get some more training in. Chance was especially thankful for the battles he got in with his new staryu. The water-type was fast and boasted a decent set of moves. The battles that it participated in generally didn't last long.

The boys soon decided to take a break with their pokemon and enjoy a quick lunch by the pond in the center of the national park. Several other groups of trainers had the same idea, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The calm water and the gentle breeze helped their pokemon relax after their battles, giving them some much needed time to rest. Snivy took the chance to sneak in a quick nap, curled up on onix's head.

As they were laying in the grass and enjoying the peace a harsh laugh cut through the air, instantly catching the attention of both boys.

"Ha! Look at these losers and their loser pokemon. Laying in the dirt where they belong." The boys sat up to see Ian and his friends standing a few feet away. Ian had a large smirk across his face as he taunted the boys.

"Ew! They even have that weak onix with them!" Jade laughed as she flipped her hair out of her eyes and over her shoulder.

"Well, pitiful trainers need pitiful pokemon, I guess." Ian laughed once more. Jade joined in with a cackle of her own, while a small laugh escaped from Ryan, who stood behind the two.

"Come on, do we really want to waste time with these kids?" Ryan said plainly.

"What is the problem with you guys?" Adrian barked out as he got to his feet. "Didn't we beat you bad enough the last time we saw you sorry excuses for trainers?" His blue eyes filled with anger.

Onix began to stir from behind the boys, letting out an angry moan as its trainer ran to stand beside it. Chance placed his hand on onix's side as he stared down the trainers before him.

"You guys really should back off. We beat you once, and this time we won't be nearly as forgiving." The redhead warned as his pokemon gathered around him.

"You talk big, but can you back it up?" Ian scoffed as he reached for a pokeball attached to his belt.

"If we are going to do this, how about we make it a fair fight this time?" Chance said as he stepped to Adrian's side. "Double battle, each trainer gets two pokemon each."

"That means one of us would have to sit out!" Jade scoffed loudly. "Not a cha-"

"You're on!" Ian yelled, cutting his friend off. "Ryan, let's do this." Ryan stepped to his friend's side, much to the annoyance of their female companion. "Go, croconaw!" Ian yelled as he tossed his pokeball into the air, revealing his now evolved starter pokemon.

"Let's go, ariados!" Ryan yelled, releasing the large, red spider pokemon onto the battlefield.

Chance turned and nodded up at onix.

"Don't worry, buddy. You're the closer here. Start us off, hoothoot!" Chance called as the owl pokemon flew past him and onto the battlefield.

"And I'll use nidoran!" Adrian said as the little purple pokemon ran past him.

"Pathetic as ever." Ian sneered at the boys as he threw up his hand. "Croconaw, use water gun on hoothoot!" The water-type shot a burst of water from its mouth at the small owl pokemon, who took flight to dodge the move, however, it was quickly hit with a barrage of purple needles.

"Careful, the first attack was just a distraction so ariados could sneak in its own attack." Adrian mumbled to his companion. "Nidoran, hit ariados with a horn attack!"

"Hoothoot, you use peck on croconaw!"

Both pokemon charged their targets, but were met with a large amount of confusion as the four pokemon ended up in a jumbled melee. Croconaw worked to dodge pecks while returning bites and scratch attacks, but kept backing into the large spider by its side. Hoothoot continued its assault, but was limited in its dodging due to the nidoran at its side. Ariados and nidoran traded horn attacks and bug bites, much to the same success as their counterparts.

"I can't even tell what is going on in that mess" Chance mumbled, staring at the dance of melee attacks that was ensuing. "Hoothoot, tackle ariados out of that mess! You have to break it up!" The small owl pokemon dove past the crocodile in front of it and slammed into the bug-type, launching it several feet out of the jumbled mess of a battle.

"Nidoran, keep up the pressure, hit ariados with a horn attack!" Adrian shouted, taking advantage of stunned spider.

The poison-type charged at its foe with its horn glowing once more and slammed into it, throwing it to its trainer's feet. Ryan recalled the spider and quickly tossed out his second pokemon.

"Geodude, take them down!" The brunette yelled as the pokeball burst open. "Use rollout!" The rock-type shot towards hoothoot, who was currently dodging water gun attacks, and launched into the air, smacking into the flying-type and bringing it crashing to the ground. Geodude kept up the attack as it spun around and went back towards nidoran, slamming into it as well and launching it towards its trainer's feet. Nidoran was able to stand back up slowly, but hoothoot was down for count.

"You did great hoothoot." Chance smiled as he recalled his pokemon. "Your turn, onix." He yelled up to his giant pokemon.

"That pokemon is still a loser, just like you!" Ian yelled to his foe. "Water gun, take that thing down!" Croconaw launched a powerful stream of water at onix, who retaliated by quickly burrowing underground to dodge the attack. "Fine then! You can hide all you want. Croconaw, take out that other sorry excuse for a pokemon!" Croconaw turned its attention towards nidoran, who was busy trading blows with geodude. Nidoran traded double kick attacks with rock throws and tackles from the rock-type. The water attack caught the poison-type off guard and made a direct hit, taking it out of the battle. As this happened onix exploded from the ground beneath croconaw and slammed into it hard, throwing it up into the air. The water-type took a lot of damage from the impact, but even more when it came crashing back to the earth below. Each trainer was down to their final pokemon.

"Nidoran, take a long rest, buddy. Let's go, quilava!" Adrian shouted out, calling out his final pokemon.

"Beedrill, end this!" Their blonde foe shouted as he released his giant bee pokemon.

Onix and quilava stood across the field staring down the geodude and beedrill across from them. Neither side was fully ready to make the first move.

"Enough waiting! Geodude, rollout on quilava!" Ryan commanded.

"Onix, don't let it! Protect quilava and use bind!"

Geodude sped towards the fire-type but soon hit a hard rock wall as onix wrapped its powerful tail around it, halting the rollout attack.

"Beedrill, twineedle attack on onix! Take that thing out!" Ian ordered.

"Quilava, don't let it!" Adrian shouted out.

Quilava jumped up on onix's back and ran down the length of the giant pokemon while igniting its body in a flame wheel. Beedrill charged towards onix's face with its large stingers ready to assault the giant pokemon, but was met with a fireball that rocketed over the rock-types back. Quilava slammed into the bug-type and continued pressing its assault until beedrill slammed into the ground. Both pokemon slowly got off the ground and prepared to clash once more. Beedrill slowly started to move forward once more before onix threw the rock pokemon into the bee. The two pokemon once more hitting the ground.

"Are you serious?" Jade laughed from behind her friends. "You guys can't seriously lose to these two kids." She grabbed a pokeball from her belt and tossed it out as her friends recalled their injured pokemon. "Ekans, let's show them how to do this right." She said to the purple snake that emerged from the red energy. Her two friends each threw out their own pokeballs as well, revealing wooper and a mankey. The three pokemon began to charge into battle on their trainer's orders, but were met with a powerful gush of water that threw all three back towards their trainers.

"If you can't battle honorably then don't battle at all." A black haired trainer said as he approached with a vaporeon at his side. "You lost the battle so walk away. Or, if you'd like to continue then I will join their side to make it an even 3-on-3." He stated plainly. The three trainers glanced at each other before recalling their fainted pokemon and retreating across the park.

"This isn't over!" Ian called over his shoulder as he ran down the road.

The black haired boy patted his vaporeon on the head before turning towards the two boys behind him.

"Long time no see, Chance." The boy smirked.

"Blake?!" Chance exclaimed the moment he saw the trainer's face.


	16. Poaching the Swarm!

"Hey, what's up, kid?" The older trainer asked the duo while he brushed the black bangs out of his eyes.

"Uh… Not much. Just training here in the park because the gym leader isn't around. I thought you were headed to Blackthorn? What brought you here?" Chance questioned the onyx haired boy.

"Well, I had some time to kill so I decided to stop in at Goldenrod to meet up with a friend and go do some training with him before he leaves for the Hoenn region." Blake explained.

"Training is kind of an odd way to say good bye, isn't it?" The redhead laughed.

"Maybe, but he and his pokemon have been on vacation for a few weeks, so we want to get them warmed up before the gyms out there." Blake explained. "By the way, who is your friend?" He asked while gesturing to the blonde who was kneeling down with his quilava.

"That's Adrian. We met up around Violet City and decided to travel together." The two younger trainers shared a smile. "He has made things a lot more interesting, that's for sure."

"Nice to meet you." Adrian said to the older boy, standing and offering his hand. Blake gave it a firm shake and nodded to the boy.

"You said you were waiting for Whitney, yeah?" The boys nodded. "Well, you might want to move on, honestly. She is up in Ecruteak City visiting the gym leader there."

"How do you know that?" Adrian asked with a puzzled look.

Blake laughed. "Because I was just with them. Morty and I are actually pretty good friends. Whitney is up there on a bit of a vacation. Morty is giving her a historical tour of the city." He explained. "But if you ask me she hasn't heard a word he has said the entire time she has been up there. Not really the scholar type." He laughed at this.

"Well then…" Chance started with a frown. "What do you think, Adrian? Should we head up there and just come back to Goldenrod later?"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to head north. I mean, who knows. We may even be able to get Whitney to battle us in Ecruteak."

"It is certainly possible." Blake mused. "She battles semi-frequently outside of her gym."

"I guess that is the plan then. We can start heading that way tomorrow. Sound good?" The blonde asked his companion.

"Sounds good to me. Rest up the rest of the afternoon and get an early start." Chance said, confirming their plans.

"Well, if it's alright with you guys I wouldn't mind hanging out for a few hours and catching up. I would love to hear about your adventures so far. I mean, I am not meeting up with my friend until tomorrow anyways."

"Sounds good to me." Chance smiled at his friends.

The group decided to spend the afternoon with their pokemon in the park. The boys traded many stories about their adventures. Adrian spoke fondly about the lessons taught to them by Falkner, while Chance shared stories about Cassie and how determined she was. As the boys told the seasoned trainer about their adventures, he offered advice on things they can try in situations in the future. The hours passed quickly as they talked about their time spent traveling in the Johto region. Soon, the conversations turned to the pokemon the two boys had with them.

"You know," Blake started while examining the large onix before him. "I am kind of shocked your onix listens to you as well as it does."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't it?" Chance asked with a frown.

"Well, pokemon of higher levels don't tend to listen to trainers unless they are very experienced. Your onix must really trust you a lot to obey so well already."

"Is it really that high of a level? How can you tell?" The redhead questioned.

"You see, onix grow to be very old, and a good judgement on age and level are the size of the onix. Your onix is actually a little over the size of a middle-aged onix. I would say that generally a pokemon of its level wouldn't listen to somebody who has less than six badges."

"Wow…" Chance said quietly as he approached his pokemon and placed his hand on its side. "I am honored you trust me that much." He was met with a low moan from the giant rock-type. "I guess I didn't realize how powerful you really are. I will do my best to be a worthy trainer." The rock snake lowered its head to its trainer and gave him a gentle nudge. Chance replied with a smile and a small hug to his pokemon.

The moment was short lived, however, as from deeper within the national park they heard a loud explosion. The boys looked over the trees to see a column of smoke rising quickly above the treetops.

"What the hell was that?" Adrian asked with wide eyes.

"Not sure." Blake said quickly while withdrawing a pokeball. "Let's go." He summoned his vaporeon as he began to run towards the source of the explosion.

The two boys recalled the pokemon around them and began to pursue their friend towards the smoke. Several minutes of running later they heard two more, much closer, explosions. Smoke quickly rose above the trees from the second explosions. The two younger trainers slowed to a stop as Blake broke through into a clearing before them.

Within the clearing they saw a large green pokemon chasing after a swarm of green, mantis pokemon. Behind the large pokemon ran a dark-haired man in a long black coat. The man screamed out to the large pokemon in front of him.

"Tyranitar, use hyper beam and stop those damn bugs!" He barked. The large dinosaur pokemon shot a powerful yellow beam from its mouth, which exploded in front of the swarm of insects, causing them to stop and shift direction, flying right towards the three trainers who had just entered the clearing.

"Down! Now!" The older trainer yelled as the swarm charged at them. The three trainers immediately dropped to the grass as the swarm of bug pokemon flew overhead and took shelter within the trees behind them. "Vaporeon, stop that thing with hydro pump!" The water-type pokemon jumped forward and launched a powerful stream of water at the larger pokemon. The blast slammed into the pokemon and slowly began to push it back, away from the group.

"Who the hell are you?" The man in the black coat yelled. "Get the hell out of my way!"

"Not a chance." Blake yelled back, positioning himself behind his vaporeon, between the tyranitar and the fleeing swarm that had huddled down in the trees and bushes behind the group.

"Bad choice." The strange man smiled. "I am here on business and you're bad for business. Time for you to disappear." The man's smirked widened as his pokemon shot another powerful yellow beam out. The blast flew past vaporeon and slammed into the ground in front of Blake, throwing him several feet across the grass.

"Blake!" Chance yelled, running to his friend. As he closed the distance between himself and his now wounded friend he threw a pokeball into the air, while snivy jumped from his shoulders. "Snivy, energy ball! Staryu use water gun!" Staryu emerged from the ball and shot a torrent of water at tyranitar, while snivy created a green orb and launched it at their foe. Vaporeon joined the assault, launching another hydro pump.

Tyranitar took the brunt of the assault before launching another hyper beam back at the pokemon attacking it. The blast exploded when it hit, causing snivy and staryu to faint immediately, while causing vaporeon a large amount of damage.

"Are you alright?" The redhead asked his friend, slowly helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine. You guys aren't a match for this guy. Get those scyther out of here. I will hold this guy off." The two younger trainers nodded to the more senior trainer, who withdrew another pokeball and tossed it into the air. "Nidoqueen, help me out!"

Chance quickly recalled his pokemon, even returning snivy to her ball, which was very rare. The younger trainers turn and ran into the forest to the cowering scyther and started to try and urge them to continue fleeing, but their eyes were all trained on a single spot within the field. Adrian followed their gaze past the battle that was now unfolding between nidoqueen and tyranitar and saw a green lump in the taller grass of the field.

"Chance, they aren't leaving because one of them is still back there." The blonde said with worry in his voice. Chance quickly spotted what his companion was talking about. The lump slowly tried to rise, but fell to the ground once more.

"Keep trying to get them out of here. I will go get that one." The blonde started to protest to his companion about the danger of running past the two pokemon that were trading hyper beams, but was swiftly cut off. "Onix and I can handle this. Now run!"

The blonde stared into his friend's eyes for a moment before nodding and turning to the bugs once more, ushering them to leave. Chance bolted across the field, onix's pokeball in hand just in case he needed it.

In the middle of the field, nidoqueen roared out in pain as a hyper beam slammed into its chest. Nidoqueen then retaliated with a light blue beam that slammed into tyranitar and starting to freeze it as the beam moved across its body. Chance took this moment as his chance to run past the battling titans.

He quickly neared the wounded pokemon on the ground. The moment he approached the pokemon took a swipe of its scythe toward the redheaded trainer. Luckily for Chance the attacked moved very slowly due to the injuries the pokemon had sustained.

"Whoa, buddy. It's okay. I'm a friend." He spoke in a slow, calming tone, noticing how terrified the pokemon was. "Just wanna help get you out of here. Okay?" He slowly moved his hand towards the pokemon once more, who eyed him nervously.

Chance's finger tips brushed slowly against the blade of scyther's hand, who quickly withdrew the scythe from the boy's reach.

"I promise, I won't hurt you. I just want to get you to safety." The boy's eyes scanned over the pokemon, seeing the injuries caused by the multiple hyper beam blasts. For the first time, Chance really noticed how small the scyther was compared to the ones he had been next to in the forest. "You're still young… Young and injured… I understand why you're so afraid, but you have to trust me. Please…" He moved his hand forward once more, more slowly than last time. The small scyther sniffed his hand a few times, not flinching away this time. Chance slowly placed his hand on the end of the bug-type's nose, moving his thumb in slow circles.

"Alright, time to get out of here, bud." The redhead stated, glancing back at the battle raging between his friend and the poacher. Chance slowly worked to pull scythe up onto his back, knowing he couldn't carry the wounded pokemon very easily. Scyther squirmed a little, but didn't have the ability to fight against the trainer too much. Chance positioned scyther's forearms on his shoulders, allowing the scythes to dangle menacingly in front of his chest. Once the pokemon was positioned as securely as he could hope, Chance began a quick trot across the field once more, praying to make it safely back to the forest without getting hit by a stray hyper beam.

The uneven weight of the injured pokemon on his back, as well as paying more attention to the battle than where he was running made the ride bumpier for scythe than either trainer or pokemon would have liked. One particularly hard jostle just before they reached the relative safety of the trees happened when a hyper beam hit a few feet behind the duo, causing Chance to stumble and scyther's blade to cut into his left shoulder as the mantis pokemon steadied itself. The sting of the cut across his flesh, as well as the heat of his blood running down his chest made the redhead quicken his pace once more. He soon made his way into the forest and towards the scyther swarm and his friend.

Within the clearing tyranitar took a powerful hydro pump from the vaporeon, who was nimbly avoiding the assault of the larger, rock-type. The man in the dark coat gritted his teeth as his pokemon rose back to its feet.

"Enough of this." He snarled. "Tyranitar, blow that damn kid away! Hyper beam!"

This time the tyranitar was not aiming towards the water pokemon that it had been losing to. It launched a powerful yellow blast of energy towards Blake, who had no cover to avoid the attack. Blake closed his eyes, preparing for the attack to hit him, however, just before he was hit, his vaporeon intercepted the attack with its own body. Vaporeon was blasted into its trainer, throwing them both across the grass. The dark-haired trainer let out a loud groan as he slowly sat up once more. He looked down at his vaporeon, who lay unmoving across his lap.

"Vaporeon…" He groaned weakly as he reached down to his pokemon. "Why would you do that?" His pokemon cried weakly in response.

"Looks like it's over for you." The poacher smirked as he approached the fallen trainer. "Tyranitar, finish this interference."

"You're wrong." Blake groaned. "This isn't done." As he spoke he grabbed a second pokeball from his belt and lobbed it a few feet away. From the pokeball burst his nidoqueen, who let out a deafening roar when she saw the state of her trainer.

Nidoqueen immediately let out a burst of white-blue energy from her mouth towards the tyranitar, who cried in pain as its chest and arms began to freeze over.

"Tyranitar! Don't you let these losers beat you! Attack!" The man screamed in fury.

Tyranitar and nidoqueen both released powerful yellow beams from their mouths, the hyper beams impacting between them and causing a large explosion. Both trainers were thrown back several feet from the shockwave.

Blake looked up from the ground at his pokemon once more. "You've got this, nidoqeen. Take them down." The large blue pokemon then charged tyranitar, who was struggling to get back to its feet.

The rock-type was breathing heavily, already exhausted from the battle with vaporeon, and nidoqueen was going to press its advantage. As tyranitar made it back to its feet it was met with a glowing fist to the face, which threw it once more to the ground. Nidoqueen roared once more in fury before launching a second hyper beam. The attack hit its mark, causing a large explosion with tyranitar in its center. Once the smoke and dust cleared, tyranitar laid unmoving in the center of a blackened patch of grass.

"Damn kids!" The poacher yelled as he recalled his defeated pokemon. The man turned and began to run back towards the forest edge, hoping to escape from the raging pokemon behind him.

Nidoqueen paid the fleeing man no mind. She quickly made her way to her trainer, who lay motionless in the grass. She slowly picked up her trainer as Adrian ran from the forest to aid the fallen man. The blonde quickly reached the duo and placed his hand on the large pokemon's arm, who cried sadly down at her trainer.

"Don't worry, help is on the way. Everything is going to be okay."


	17. Resting and Recovering!

Blake opened his eyes to a dimly lit room. He slowly looked around to try and gather himself, but the room was entirely unfamiliar. The bed he was in was soft, and a quiet beeping played rhythmically from beside him. He slowly turned his head towards the sound and saw a boy, slouched over and sleeping in a chair near his bed. Various machines sitting several feet from the boy were quickly deduced as the source of the beeping. Blake slowly began to sit up, only to be brought back down from the pounding in his head. As he slumped back down onto the pillow he let out a pained groan, causing the boy beside him to stir.

"You're awake." The blonde stated as he shot to his feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Like next time I will move faster when a hyper beam is aimed at me." The black-haired boy groaned out. "Where is Chance? Is he alright? What about vaporeon?"

"They are both fine." Adrian smiled. "Vaporeon is staying the night at the pokemon center to be healed up. Chance decided to stay there as well to make sure vaporeon and the injured scyther weren't alone." He explained. "As for Chance… The boy is stubborn. Scyther cut into his shoulder pretty badly, but the moment it was stitched and bandaged he went straight to the pokemon center to be with it."

The older trainer smiled at this. "I am glad he has such a good heart. Vaporeon doesn't deserve to be alone after risking so much for me." He closed his eyes once more, hiding from the dim lights that assaulted his eyes and worsened the throbbing in his head.

"Your pokemon really do care for you a lot. You should be proud." The two shared a smile at that. "Now that you're looking a bit better… I am going to head back over to the center and check on Chance and the pokemon. Try and get some more sleep, alright?"

"That shouldn't be hard." He chuckled. "Thank you." The blonde nodded before leaving his friend to rest once more.

The blonde trainer made the walk from the Goldenrod hospital to the pokemon center fairly quickly, as they were only a few blocks away from each other. Adrian hurried into the pokemon center and out of the chilly night air. He gave the nurse at the front desk a small wave as he walked back towards the hallway where he knew his redheaded companion was. He quietly walked down the hallway until he saw his friend sitting on the floor, his head lolled to the side. Adrian smiled at the quiet, even breathing of his sleeping friend. He slowly sunk down the wall to sit beside his friend, who stirred from the motion beside him.

* * *

"Hey. How ya feeling?" The blonde asked as he glanced at the bandages exposed slightly by the loose fitting hoodie.

"M'alright." The redhead let out in a slow slur as he stretched his one good arm in a yawn.

"I'm glad… Any news on the pokemon?"

"Vaporeon will be fine by tomorrow." Chance explained as he straightened his hoodie to cover up the bandages on his left shoulder. "He just won't be able to battle for a few days while he heals. As for scyther… He will recover. His injuries weren't too severe. They said he is more traumatized than anything and might not trust humans too well after having that poacher send tyranitar after him. They plan to take him and release him back into the national park tomorrow." He frowned at the ground the entire time he spoke of the bug pokemon.

Adrian put his hand on Chance's good shoulder, causing the boy to turn and look his friend in the eyes for the first time. "Both pokemon will be okay, so don't worry so much. It will take time for scyther to trust people again, but you showed him that not everybody is bad. He just might surprise you with how fast he recovers."

The redhead nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Aren't I always?" The blonde grinned. He earned a smile as a response to his sarcasm. "Come on, let's get you to a real bed now that you know the pokemon will be fine." He said as he began to stand once more.

"I'll be fine here." Chance smiled. "I have to be here when scyther wakes up."

"Is there a point arguing with you?" Adrian asked, shaking his head. "Let it be known that you will heal better if you take care of yourself, too."

The two trainers sunk down once more, doing their best to make themselves comfortable enough to get some rest and await the two pokemon waking up.

* * *

The morning seemed to come quickly, as the boys were awoken by several nurses doing their rounds and checking on all of the pokemon that had been admitted for overnight stays. Chance quickly flagged down one of the roaming nurses to ask for an update on the two pokemon he was waiting for. He was informed that both pokemon would be ready to leave as soon as they awoke. They were told that vaporeon would be released to Blake as soon as he got to the center, and scyther would be transported to the national park in a few hours.

"I'm glad they will be okay." The redhead smiled as the nurse walked away.

"There is more on your mind than that." Adrian observed his shorter friend's face.

"Just worried about scyther is all." He mumbled in response.

The boys stood in silence, staring through the large windows into the two rooms at the resting pokemon. Vaporeon was the first to stir, and after a few quick tests were done to observe the pokemon, he was allowed to stretch his legs and wait for his trainer with the two trainers outside the room. Both boys quickly grew fond of the water-type, as he was very affectionate and loved the attention he was getting as they scratched behind his large, fin-like ears.

Not long after vaporeon joined the two boys, scyther began to awaken as well. The bug-type didn't handle it nearly as well as vaporeon had. Scyther immediately panicked upon waking up. The mantis pokemon tried to stand, ripping several probes and monitors from its body. The nurses in the room panicked as well when the pokemon began to thrash about in fear. Upon seeing the scene play out in front of him, Chance quickly ran for the door to the room. The nurses scolded him that he shouldn't be in there as he bolted past them and towards the scared scyther. However, once the bug-type saw the redhead he began to slowly calm down and lower himself back onto the table.

"Everything is alright, I promise." Chance spoke softly as he reached a hand out to rest on scyther's cheek. "The nurses just have to check a few things and then we can take you back home, okay?" He smiled as he spoke to the pokemon.

"Scyther really trusts you after rescuing it." Nurse Joy observed as she entered the room as well. "We have only been able to work with it while it was sedated." Scyther's eyes scanned the three women who were in the room with it, watching every move they made.

"You're alright, buddy." Chance spoke, making small circles on the pokemon's cheek with his thumb.

The remaining tests were done as quickly as they could be and a truck was prepared to take scyther back home. The entire time, Chance was allowed to sit with scyther to keep it calm. Once the tests were done and the truck was ready and waiting in front of the pokemon center, the team of nurses exited the room with scyther, who stayed close to Chance. Upon exiting the room, Chance quickly noticed Blake had arrived as well. The two trainers shared a glance and a nod before the group headed towards the front of the pokemon center.

The group made their way to the transport truck, where two park rangers were waiting for them. Nurse Joy helped the still sore scyther into the back of the vehicle before turning to the group.

"Will you be joining us, young man?" She asked the now confused redhead. "You have been by scyther's side this entire time. Wouldn't you like to see the happy ending of it being returned to its family?" The nurse had a large smile as she spoke, and was met with a large smile in return.

"I'd like that." He nodded as he stepped into the back of the truck with the nurse. "Ready to go home, scyther?" He asked, placing his hand on scyther's shoulder. The mantis pokemon nodded with a slight smile.

The two trainers outside the truck waved farewell to their friend as the rangers shut the doors and the truck began to make its way through the city. It didn't take long before they were once again in the national park, and moving towards where the park rangers had last seen scyther's swarm. The entire ride, scyther had remained close to Chance's side, still not fully trusting the nurse that had healed its injuries.

Soon, the truck came to a halt, and those in the back could hear the park rangers exit the front of the vehicle and circle around to let them out as well. The doors swung open, revealing a small meadow surrounded by forest. Along the edge of the tree line was the scyther swarm, cautiously watching the rangers and the vehicle that had entered their territory.

Nurse Joy quickly exited the truck to stand alongside the park rangers waiting outside. She turned and motioned for scyther to follow. The mantis, slowly stepped forward, sniffing the air and constantly looking back to make sure that Chance was beside him. The redheaded trainer made sure to stay walking just behind the bug-type, talking calmly to reassure the pokemon that it was home. The two then stepped into the bright sunlight that awaited them.

Scyther took a few steps away from the humans that had formed a small group outside the truck and looked around. It quickly eyed the swarm of pokemon that was waiting a few yards away. Scyther began to run towards its swarm, who started to move forward towards their friend as well. While the group of bug pokemon had a moment to rejoice, Chance finally noticed the size difference between the scyther he had helped and the others.

"Wow… Scyther really is small compared to the rest of the swarm." He said quietly.

"Yes." Nurse Joy said with a smile. "That scyther is still very young. Right now he is only about two thirds the size of a full grown scyther. That is one of the reasons the whole ordeal rattled him so much. Being as young as he is, these things become even more frightening." She explained.

The redhead nodded in response, his eyes trained on the bug he had helped rescue. "I'm glad everything worked out. This moment makes all the pain and fear worth it." He smiled.

"Indeed it does. That's why I do this. Every time a pokemon gets to reunite with its family or trainer it tells me that I am doing the right thing." The nurse smiled once more. "But, the day has just begun. Scyther is back home and it's time for me to get back to my pokemon center. Shall we?" She asked turning back towards the truck. Chance nodded, struggling to take his eyes off the joyful reunion, before turning back towards the truck as well.

"Scyther! Scy!" The group heard the loud cry as they were once more getting into the truck. Chance turned with a look of confusion to see the small scyther standing with its swarm behind it, staring at him expectantly.

"I think he wants to thank you." Joy smiled.

"Oh? Is that it? Well, I am glad I could help, scyther." Chance spoke as he took a knee before the pokemon, reaching his hand out to pet its cheek. "Now you be safe with your family, alright?" He stood once more and began to turn around, but was stopped by scyther nudging his side. "What is it, scyther?" He asked, confused.

Scyther stared up at the trainers eyes, then turned to its swarm. The largest scyther, who stood at the front of the swarm, slowly nodded its head to the younger bug pokemon. Scyther turned once more towards the redhead and poked at the front pouch of his hoodie, where his pokeballs currently were tucked away.

"I'd wager that scyther wants to go with you now that it has said goodbye to its family." Joy explained, placing her hand on Chance's shoulder.

"What? Is that right, buddy?" Scyther nodded before poking his pokeballs once more. Chance smiled and withdrew an empty ball from within the pocket on his hoodie. "Well, if you're sure, then I would love to have you on the team." He held the pokeball out to the mantis pokemon, who poked the small circle on the front of it with the end of one of his scythes. Instantly the bug disappeared in a flash of red light and the ball clicked, finalizing the capture. Chance smiled down at the pokeball, happy that he had made a new friend.

Chance took a final moment before leaving the swarm to nod to the large leader and promise that he would take good care of the youngster that would now be accompanying him. He then trotted over to the waiting vehicle and joined Nurse Joy in the short trip back to the pokemon center.

* * *

"Chance! You're finally back! How did it go?" Adrian greeted his friend once he entered the pokemon center.

"Better than expected, actually." The redhead said with a grin. He was met with a curious look from his blonde friend, and the older, black haired trainer behind him. To answer their questions he withdrew the pokeball from his pocket and explained to them what had transpired once they reached the swarm.

"Well, you should be quite proud." Blake praised, clapping his friend on his good shoulder. "Scyther can be a very powerful pokemon if raised properly, and it will be a good learning experience for you to help this one rehabilitate and start being more comfortable with humans again. Just remember to not rush things with it."

"Yeah, it will be tough, but the two of us can handle it." The redhead grinned.

Snivy also gave an approving nod to the new capture from her spot on Adrian's shoulder, as she was currently scorning her trainer for keeping her in her pokeball overnight. The three trainers laughed at the starter pokemon's entitlement before letting their conversation drift to other topics. Blake made sure to thank Chance once again for staying with his vaporeon while he was out of commission, but before long, the older trainer said his goodbyes and left the two younger trainers to their own devices.

"So… What now?" The redhead asked his friend.

"Well, first off, we go buy you a new shirt so you're not wearing just a hoodie anymore." The blonde grinned. "And then I guess we can head to Ecruteak City tomorrow morning. Sound good?"

"Works for me." Chance replied, adjusting his loose hoodie with a small sense of insecurity, as he had given no thought to wearing just that since his old shirt had been soaked in blood and ruined.

"Alright then. It's a plan." The blonde smiled, standing from the table in the pokemon center café that they had been occupying for the past hour or so.


	18. Bonding and a Chance Encounter!

The sun rose over a new day as the duo of trainers began their trek onto route 36. The boys had spent the remainder of the following day relaxing and recovering, as well as buying a replacement for one of the few shirts that Chance had with him on his journey. Now, they walked along a small trail that led them through a rather dense forest. It was the same forest that houses the National Park, but this area was outside the protected border.

They took the day slower than usual, giving Chance more breaks to sit and rest, as his wounded shoulder was providing a rather unpleasant amount of pain. However, the more frequent breaks did give the two young trainers more time to work with their pokemon. Adrian took the opportunity to continue working with his new elekid and its ability to release electricity. The young pokemon was slowly learning how to control thundershock, which made Adrian happy to see the progress. He was also working with his quilava's flame wheel, trying to get it to increase the size and power of the attack. Nidoran continued to work on its speed, while tentacool remained largely in its pokeball due to the lack of bodies of water.

Chance had taken the time to try and get scyther more used to his team, which was going better than the redhead had expected. Snivy and scyther seemed to get along just fine, scyther having spent more time with her than any of the other pokemon. The rest of the team seemed alright with scyther as well. However, scyther did always keep a close eye on the giant onix whenever he was around.

During their time spent training, Chance had scyther and staryu, his two newest pokemon, keep working on the moves they already knew. This training helped their trainer better understand their limitations and how best to use them in their coming battles. Staryu primarily trained with its water gun and swift attacks, both of which proved to be fast and powerful techniques. Scyther was able to show off its quick attack and fury cutter attacks to its new trainer, both of which came with very impressive speed, but lacked the raw power of a full grown scyther.

Hoothoot, in preparation for the gym that Adrian had said was a ghost-type gym, was working on a new attack – confusion. Chance was hoping that the psychic attack would help give him an edge against this next challenge… But it was not coming along well at all. The small owl pokemon seemed to be having trouble focusing the attack, and when it did show progress it was unable to control whatever object it was picking up for more than a few seconds.

The last two, and arguably strongest members of his team, snivy and onix, were both working hard as well. Onix couldn't train during every break, due to not always having room, but Chance had set about having it learn rock tomb, which it was already starting to master with ease. Snivy, however, continued to work on what she already knew. Back in Goldenrod City she had revealed that she had learned energy ball, but the orbs of energy that she created were still small and took far too long to create. The target for her training was primarily charging speed and power of the attack. Overall, her training was going well, which pleased both her and her trainer.

The first two days of their renewed journey progressed smoothly. The forest was mostly quiet during their travels, and the occasional breaks for rest and training kept the day rather interesting. Their pokemon were making decent enough progress with their training, but the boys made sure that they weren't pushing themselves too hard, as they were still a few days out from Ecruteak City and the nearest pokemon center.

The third day was progressing just as well, when the boys came across a fork in the road. The path continued further north, but there was another path that led further east. Chance stopped once they reached this path and turned to his companion.

"I thought you said there weren't any other towns around here?" He questioned his blonde friend. "Any idea where that road leads?" He asked, pointing to the east.

"That is actually the road to Violet City." Adrian explained. "If we were to take that it would lead us out of the forest and to Violet City. It's the natural route that people from Ecruteak City take, rather than going all the way south to Azalea Town like we did."

"Oh wow… I guess I thought we would be a lot further north than Violet City by now." The redhead mused while scratching snivy's head from her perch, laying across the top of his backpack and resting her head on his right shoulder.

"Well, the route eventually turns south, but yaknow…" He trailed off. "It's only about another three days until we reach Ecruteak City. The forest will start to become less overgrown by tomorrow evening, and the next route is much shorter." The blonde explained.

"I hope the days go fast. I am ready for my next gym badge, and I know snivy here is ready for a good battle." The grass snake pokemon gave a quick nod and a small squeak to confirm her trainer's words. Both were unhappy about the absence of the previous gym leader, causing a large gap between their gym battles.

"Agreed. It doesn't feel like we have been making much progress at all, but we will get there as long as we just keep moving." The blonde began to walk north once more as he spoke, quickly followed by his companion.

Several hours went by in relative silence before the group made camp for the evening. The boys made a small campfire to prepare their dinner on. While their food cooked the boys mostly watched hoothoot using its confusion to slowly pick up berries and spin them in the air before they would inevitably fall when it lost its focus. Each time the berries fell the owl pokemon would puff up and let out a hoot of frustration, causing both boys to chuckle softly.

"So…" The redhead began after a small gap of silence. "You haven't really told me about your home life before. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I just thought it would help to get to know you more. You do know all about my family. About how my mom won the Unova league and my sister came close, and is a favorite for this year's competition."

The blonde laughed a little in response. "Ya know, I never meant to hide anything, really. My life just isn't nearly as interesting as yours. I didn't grow up being the son of a champion or anything."

"It really isn't as glamorous as you think it was." The redhead half smiled. "So, what about your parents? What do they do?"

"Well… I grew up with my four older brothers, who basically raised me, really. My parents used to be trainers. They didn't do anything as impressive as your mom, but they taught my brothers and me to love pokemon. My mom eventually gave up being a trainer to work at the pokemon center, and my dad worked at the docks in Cherrygrove." He scratched behind nidoran's large ears as he spoke.

"Worked? What does he do now?" The redhead asked, standing up to stir the pot over the fire once more. Behind him, Adrian's eyes fell to the ground.

"Nothing. He is gone… They both are…" He murmured quietly. Chance immediately turned to his friend.

"Wha- I mean… I didn't mean…" The redhead sputtered.

"No." The blonde gave a small smile as he looked up into his friend's eyes. "You're fine. It's fine. It was a long time ago." Chance sat down beside the blonde, resting his right shoulder against his friend's left shoulder. "I've been able to talk about it for a few years. It isn't easy… But they wouldn't want me to always be sad."

"You're a lot stronger than you let on, ya know?"

"I guess." The blonde laughed lightly. "It was an accident years ago. They went on a cruise, their first vacation in years. There was an accident and the ship went down. Most of the passengers survived. There were enough water pokemon and life rafts that most people made it out just fine. Even my parents' pokemon came back… My mom's mantine arrived to the shore with their pokeballs and three passengers. The people on mantine said my parents sent mantine away with them to save them. They stayed behind to save others…" The boy looked up at the evening sky as he finished his story, a look of sad pride spread across his face.

Suddenly, the blonde felt a tight arm around his shoulders. He was pulled tight to the side of his shorter friend, who leaned his head into him. The stray red strands tickled his nose slightly.

"Your parents are heroes. You should be very proud." Adrian turned to his friend, who pulled his head away and met the eyes of the blonde.

"Were… but yeah, I know…"

"No, they still are. They may not be here anymore, but their actions still are. Others are still here because of them, so they are still heroes to those people, and to you, and now to me." The blonde nodded to his friend, their eyes still focused on each other.

"I really do appreciate that. I may be able to talk about them, but it will always be hard, I think. Somehow, you seem to make it a bit easier though."

"I'm glad." A wide grin grew across Chance's face before he stood to check their cooking soup, unknowingly leaving his friend a bit confused to the sudden sadness from the loss of the warm arm. "I am sorry I made you bring up sad emotions though…"

"It was an innocent question, and thanks to you, I'm not sad, so don't mention it." The blonde's words were shockingly true to him. He missed his parents dearly, but they didn't feel so far away in that moment. He pulled nidoran up from the ground beside him and gave the small pokemon a hug.

"Looks like dinner is ready, although, you left me to finish making it so who knows if it's actually edible." The redhead laughed lightly, earning a smile from his friend.

"Don't worry, you have been improving… slowly." The blonde stood up to get his own bowl of soup. "Although, if you and I never would have started traveling together I am guessing you would have starved to death." Adrian's statement earned him a playful look of annoyance.

The boys filled their bowls and called out their pokemon to feed them as well. The small group of trainers and pokemon gathered in a circle to enjoy their meal. However, moments into their meal the relative silence was broken by a new, loud voice.

"Oh my god. Something smells so good!" The voice called out, causing both boys and the majority of their pokemon to glance around into the trees around them. "Hurry up! We have to find where that smell is coming from!" The cheery voice rang out once more.

Both boys slowly got to their feet as a girl with bright pink, shoulder length hair burst through the tree line with wide smile across her face. The pink-haired girl wore what appeared to be a softball jersey and very short blue shorts. Behind her she pulled a girl with long curly blonde hair. The second girl wore a white tank top and a blue skirt, as well as several large rings and a flashy belt around her waist.

The two girls stopped for a moment when they entered the clearing that they boys had made camp in. The first girl scanned over the group, her eyes lingering a moment on the steaming pot that sat over the fire.

"Are you guys the source of that amazing smell?" She asked in a bubbly voice.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess." Chance said slowly, his eyes drifting from her, to the soup, and back. "Why..?"

"Because we were wondering if you would be kind enough to share!" The pink-haired girl stated loudly. The blonde rolled her eyes behind her friend.

"I am so totally sorry for her." She said in a voice that conveyed her annoyance. "She forgets her manners when she gets excited like this."

"No, it's fine." Adrian said after sharing a glance with his friend. "We would be happy to share." His own smile was met with a small one from the blonde and a huge one from the pink-haired girl who immediately ran up and wrapped the blonde boy in a hug.

"You are the best, sweetest person ever!" She said in a much louder voice than the boy would have appreciated, given that her mouth was so closed to his ear.

Chance quickly provided the two girls with bowls from his backpack, which the pink-haired girl promptly filled and began eating ravenously. The blonde girl sat down beside her, giving her an annoyed look once more. The two boys gave each other curious looks once more before sitting down with the two newcomers and starting their own meals once again.

"So, my name is Adrian, by the way." The blonde smiled warmly to the girls. "And this is Chance. What about you two?"

"Oh gosh. We totally forgot to introduce ourselves, didn't we?" The blonde girl stated, smacking her forehead lightly. "I am totally sorry about that. My name is Samantha. It's totally nice to meet you two. And thanks again for the food." She flashed a genuine smile to the boys this time before turning and elbowing her friend.

"Oh! Right!" The pink-haired girl laughed, finally taking a break from shoveling the soup into her mouth. "My name is Whitney! And we really do appreciate your kindness!" The girl's voice was still very loud and excited, but the boys were thankful it was at least slightly more subdued now due to the food.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two, and don't mention it. We will be in Ecruteak City soon so we will be able to replenish our supplies pretty easily. We are just glad we could help out." The redhead smiled.

"Oh? Ecruteak, huh? What are you guys doing there?" Whitney asked in a more human level voice.

"We are headed there to challenge Morty for our third gym badges, actually." Chance said with a grin. "Ghost pokemon are tricky, but we have been training hard and I think we can handle it."

"Oh, well that is very interesting." Whitney sat forward now, clearly much more interested in the strange boys than she was previously. "So you two are both out and challenging gyms then?" A strange grin spread across her face.

"Uh… Yeah?" The redhead replied with a confused look. "Are you alright? You are acting differently…"

"That would be because she is the Goldenrod City gym leader…" Adrian replied in an annoyed tone with a hand on his face. This revelation earned a look of shock from his friend and a huge grin from Whitney.

"That's right!" She shouted with a huge smile. "The one and only!" Her companion rolled her eyes at the boisterous announcement.

"Are you for real?!" The redhead asked, still trying to process the information.

"Of course!" Whitney said happily. "I am actually on my way back home right now. Sam and I just spent some time in Ecruteak City for a bit of a vacation."

"We are aware, actually." The blonde boy replied dryly. "We waited for days in Goldenrod hoping that you would return so we could challenge you"

"Oh really?" The pink-haired girl replied with a devilish smile. "Well, in repayment for the dinner, how about I take both of your challenges before we part ways? Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, I will battle both of you!" She declared firmly.

* * *

 **So, this chapter was harder to right than I thought it would be. I am glad that Adrian is finally showing a bit of his history, and the friendship between the two boys is definitely deepening. Next Chapter will be one that has had a decent amount of buildup and will be played a bit differently than most gym battles, as I am trying to find ways to make this story different than every other fic that follows more "canonical" gym battles. I don't plan to do anything too crazy with it, but enough to make it interesting.**

 **Also, I would like some input. I have expressed displeasure with the current title of the fic and a friend suggested I change it to "Heir to the Crown" or "Heir to the Champion's Crown" I am liking both better than the current title, but would love some input from my readers. I greatly appreciate it. Hope you enjoy 3.**


	19. The Dramatic Gym Challenge!

The next morning, Chance awoke to the overly loud voice of the woman he had learned was the Goldenrod City Gym leader. He remained in his sleeping bag for a few minutes, refusing to open his eyes and admit to himself that he was already awake for the day. He listened for several long minutes to the pink-haired gym leader talk loudly about how good Adrian's cooking smelled. Her excited talking was enough to force Chance to surrender his attempt to go back to sleep, much to his annoyance.

"Good morning." The blonde woman, Samantha, greeted the redhead once his eyes fluttered open. The boy glanced over to the woman who sat a few feet away, sipping a cup of warm coffee.

"Hey." Chance greeted, sitting up slowly. The movement disturbed snivy, who, as always, had made her own bed of the boy's pillow. The redhead pulled the grass snake pokemon up into his chest and stood, cradling his starter pokemon.

"Oh! You're finally up! Maybe now we can start breakfast!" Whitney cheered loudly. The redhead rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't holding snivy, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Somebody was cooking super slowly because he said it'd be rude to eat without you!" The girl pouted.

The two boys shared a glance where Adrian rolled his eyes at the girl. He quickly had quilava increase the size of their little cooking fire, hoping to speed things up now that his companion was awake. The sooner they ate the sooner they would have their battle.

The breakfast went quickly. Both boys tried to hurry it along in hopes to finally get their third badges. The boys intentionally were trying to eat quickly, but they still finished several minutes after Whitney had devoured her food.

"Ahhhh." Whitney sighed with content, letting her hand rest on her full stomach. She looked over at her friend who had just finished eating as well. "I guess it is time for that battle I promised you boys." She said, while getting to her feet. Her three companions all stood up and joined her. "This match will be a bit unique, if that is alright with you boys." The gym leader said with a wink.

"Unique in what way?" Adrian questioned.

"Well, I don't have all of my gym pokemon with me, and I have no way to heal my pokemon between battles." She explained. "So, how about we have a double battle? Samantha will join me as my partner, and if you two beat us you both earn a badge."

"Is that even allowed?" Chance asked the woman. "I didn't think you could take on more than one person in an official battle at once, and with a person who isn't a gym leader battling with you."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Whitney replied with a laugh. "There are no official rules about how a match must be done. I am allowed to determine the challenge, and gym leaders can even give away badges to people for different feats or actions that prove to the leader that they are worthy of the badge. So this is nothing. Besides, this will be super fun!"

"Well…" The redhead turned and locked eyes with his friend, who gave a quick nod. "I guess we accept."

"Yay!" The leader cheered. "Each trainer will use two pokemon! The match will be over when one side has no pokemon remaining. Agreed?" She was met with a nod from each of the other three trainers.

"Let's do this." Adrian said with a smirk, withdrawing a pokeball from his pocket.

"Alright! Let's go! Come on out, sentret!" The gym leader shouted as she tossed a ball into the air.

"We've totally got this! Come on out, meowth!" Samantha called out from beside her friend, showing more passion now than she had since the boys met her.

From the two pokeballs emerged two normal-type pokemon. Sentret was a brown pokemon with black stripes and a large tail, while meowth was a cream colored cat pokemon with a gold charm on its head. The scout pokemon quickly stood up on its tail and stared at the two trainers across the clearing from it.

"Ready for this?" Adrian asked his friend, who gave him a nod. "Alright, quilava, I choose you!" He yelled, tossing out his starter pokemon's pokeball.

"Staryu, let's do this!" Chance called out, summoning his water pokemon.

"Let's begin, then! Sentret, hit quilava with a scratch!" Whitney commanded.

"Meowth, fury swipes on staryu!"

"Quilava, repel it with flame wheel!"

"Staryu, use bubble beam to keep meowth back!" The redhead called out.

The two normal-types charged their foes, but each were met with counterattacks. Quilava leapt into the air and curled into a tight ball and spun into a flame wheel, which then hurdled towards the scout pokemon and slammed into it, tossing it across the field. Meowth fared better. The bubble beam stopped the scratch cat's advance, but it was able to use its extended, razor sharp claws to burst the bubbles before they made contact.

"Not bad." The gym leader smiled. "Sentret, use quick attack and follow up with iron tail on quilava!" She cheered out to her pokemon.

"Meowth, follow up and hit quilava with fury swipes!"

"Staryu, stop meowth with water gun!" The redhead called out, throwing his hand out towards the scratch cat pokemon.

"Quilava, keep sentret back with an ember attack!"

The two normal-types charged forward once more, but meowth was met with a powerful burst of water from the star shape pokemon that sent it rolling back towards its trainer. Sentret fared better this time, using its quick attack to close the distance between itself and its opponent and then to dodge the fire-types attack. Quilava was then slammed with sentret's tail, which glowed a light gray color as it slammed into the starter pokemon, sending it rolling across the grass.

"You alright, quilava?" Adrian called to his pokemon, who stood and gave a small nod. "Alright. Then let's wrap this up. Hit meowth with ember!"

"Staryu, water gun on sentret!" Chance ordered.

The two attacks slammed into their targets and launched them into each other. Meowth and sentret slowly began to struggle to stand once more.

"Finish them, quilava! Hit them with flame wheel!"

The fire-type leapt into the air and formed a large, rotating ball of fire around itself. The flames around the volcano pokemon continued to grow into a raging inferno as it sped through the air at the two weakened pokemon. Within seconds the giant fireball slammed into the two, causing a large explosion of dust and smoke to spread through the air.

Staryu and quilava stood their ground, ready to attack once more once the smoke cleared. A few tense moments went by as the smoke dissipated, revealing sentret curled into a ball, while an unconscious meowth lay beside it. Sentret slowly popped out of its defense curl and stood back up on its tail once more.

"Meowth, return!" Samantha recalled her scratch cat pokemon. "You did great, sweetie. Now! It's your turn, nidorina!" She cried out as she threw a second pokeball. A blue pokemon that looked a lot like Adrian's nidoran emerged from the pokeball. However, the nidorina was about twice the size of nidoran and lacked the large horn on its head.

"Nidorina, huh?" Adrian mumbled, glancing at his quilava. "Quilava, let's save you for later. Return!" The volcano pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light as his trainer recalled him. "Alright, let's show them what you're made of, nidoran!" The blonde called out as he summoned his own poison pin pokemon. The little purple pokemon stomped its foot in the dirt as it glared across the field at its evolved counterpart.

"Ahhhh. So you want to play games then?" Samantha said with a smirk. "Fine with us! Nidorina, use bite on nidoran!"

"Counter it with horn attack!" Adrian cried out.

"Sentret, hit staryu with a quick attack!" Whitney yelled out in a joyful tone.

"Repel sentret with water gun!"

Nidoran and nidorina met in the middle of the battlefield and hit each other hard, throwing up a small cloud of dust around them. Nidoran repeatedly used its horn to force nidorina back enough to avoid the bite attack, however, nidorina continually used scratch during the scuffle to damage her foe.

Sentret charged its foe across the field, who tried to retaliate with several powerful blasts of water, but each one was nimbly dodged by the scout pokemon. Sentet then slammed into staryu, sending the star shape pokemon sliding across the grass towards its trainer. The normal-type then continued its attack by flipping in the air and slamming an iron tail into the water pokemon.

"Staryu, rapid spin to get sentret away! Then help nidoran with a swift!" The star shape pokemon obeyed its trainer as it began to spin rapidly and shoot across the field towards the scout pokemon. Staryu slammed into sentret, who tried to withstand the hit but ultimately failed, being tossed before its trainer, defeated. Before sentret could hit the ground, however, staryu was already blasting a shower of white stars towards the two poison-types who were still trading blows. The stars impacted and forced nidorina to back away from the smaller foe.

"Sentret!" Came the piercing wail from across the field, making both boys flinch. Whitney quickly ran the few feet to her pokemon and scooped it into her arms. "How could you hurt my poor little sentret?" She asked, now sobbing.

"Uhhh…" Adrian glanced at Chance, who shared a look of utter confusion. "It's a battle, that is kinda what we are supposed to do…" The blonde explained quietly to the crying girl.

"Let me handle this, boys." Samantha said with a smile. She closed the gap between her and the gym leader and knelt beside her friend, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you can't always get like this when somebody defeats a pokemon of yours. Sentret did its best, and now the battle must go on." The gym leader's cries slowly subsided into light sniffles as her friend continued to talk to her. Soon, Samantha stood up once more. "Alright, sorry about that, boys. She gets this way when one of her pokemon gets hurt." She looked down once more at Whitney. "You ready to win this?"

"You will pay for hurting my cute little sentret." The pink-haired gym leader said with anger in her eyes as she slowly stood once more, returning sentret to its pokeball and grabbing another. "Let's teach them a lesson, miltank!"

The ball burst open and in a flash of red light a large pokemon emerged. The pokemon was a large, pink cow pokemon, which stood about a foot taller than any other pokemon that was currently on the battlefield. The cow immediately began to stomp her hoof into the grass and stare down her foes.

"Let's resume this battle. Miltank, use tackle on staryu!" The gym leader cried, throwing her arm out and pointing at the water-pokemon.

The milk cow charged her foe with surprising speed. Staryu immediately started to blast it with a water gun, but the steady torrent of water hardly seemed to be slowing the normal-type down at all.

"Nidoran, poison sting on miltank, quick!"

"Not so fast! Nidorina, bite on nidoran!"

Nidoran launched a spray of purple needles from its mouth towards the milk cow, but the assault was intercepted by nidorina, who took the hit and then charged the smaller poison pin pokemon. Nidorina then bit onto nidorans ear, picked it up, and began to slam the pokemon into the ground repeatedly. As nidoran was being beaten down by its foe, miltank slammed into the water-type, who was sent flying past its trainer and into a nearby tree. Staryu slowly fell to the ground, where its normally bright core blinked slowly, signaling its defeat.

"Staryu, come on back, buddy. You did a great job." The redheaded trainer praised the defeated water pokemon. Chance's hand went to his pokeballs, where he immediately grabbed the one storing onix, but then shifted over to another one, not wanting to rely on his overly strong pokemon to make it past this gym battle. "Snivy, come on out!" He called, summoning his starter pokemon.

Snivy emerged onto the battlefield and stared at the milk cow and poison pin pokemon across the field from her. She and nidoran shared a glance and a quick nod before the battle resumed once more.

"Milktank, rollout on nidoran!"

"Nidorina, poison sting on snivy!"

"Use leaf tornado to block the poison sting, quick!" Chance called out to his starter.

"Dodge miltank and use horn attack on nidorina, nidoran!"

Nidorina launched a barrage of purple, poisonous needles at the grass snake pokemon, who began to spin in the air and whip up a tornado of leaves to block the attack. The spinning leaves took the hit of a lot of the needles, but eventually the assault broke past the impromptu defense and slammed into the starter pokemon. However, the attack didn't last long, as nidoran jumped past the miltank who had curled into a ball and rolled across the field at the poison pin pokemon, and slammed its glowing horn into nidorina's side. The two poison-types engaged in a close range battle once again, this time with nidorina enraged.

"Turn around and try again, miltank! Finish that nidoran off!" Whitney ordered, her voice still filled with anger.

The milk cow pokemon did a quick turn while still rolling and sped across the grass towards the two battling poison-types. Nidorina tried to dodge at the last moment, but nidoran knocked her in front of the normal-type to take the hit along with him. Both poison pin pokemon rolled across the grass after the impact, neither able to make it back to their feet after the damage they had sustained.

"Damn! I'm totally out of pokemon. Looks like it's up to you, Whit." Samantha complained with a shrug to the gym leader.

"Two-on-one, huh?" The gym leader said with a smirk. "Don't worry, miltank and I got this."

"We will see about that. Quilava, let's wrap this up!" Adrian shouted with confidence, summoning his starter pokemon once more. "Use ember!"

"Miltank, counter it with rollout!"

Miltank curled into a ball once more and rocketed across the field at the volcano pokemon, allowing the ember to bounce off its thick hide as it surged forward. Luckily for Adrian, quilava was able to narrowly avoid the attack.

"I don't know how we can damage this thing…" Adrian mumbled to his partner. "Any ideas?"

"Not sure. It doesn't seem to be taking much damage from our attacks. For now just keep dodging and try to wear it down." The redhead responded to his friend, never taking his eyes off the still moving milk cow. "Snivy, energy ball!"

The speed of miltank was continuing to increase as it charged towards the two starter pokemon once more. Snivy tried to slow it down some with a large energy ball, which exploded across its body, but didn't do much to slow her down. Snivy took a glancing blow from the rollout and was sent flying across the field, separating her from quilava, who immediately started pelting miltank with embers, causing her to turn and charge quilava once more.

"That's it!" Chance cried out.

"What? Got a plan?" The blonde replied.

"Yeah. Keep quilava and snivy apart. If one can attack while the other dodges then we can do constant damage to miltank. We just have to make sure we don't take a full hit or we are done for." The redhead explained. "Snivy use leaf tornado on miltank before it turns back around!"

Quilava was busy dancing around the speeding ball that was intent on taking him out of the match, but was luckily given a moment of reprieve when miltank was assaulted by a swirling wind of leaves that slammed into her. Miltank quickly turned her attention to the grass snake once more and charged across the field.

"Quilava, don't let miltank get away! Use ember again!"

Quilava shot out a barrage of fireballs once more on the retreating miltank, causing her to begin to wobble for the first time. Snivy easily dodged the attack this time, noticing the normal-type starting to slow down.

"Come on miltank! You got this! Take those two out for sentret!" Whitney cried out.

Miltank turned and charged quilava once more, using much of her remaining energy to speed up once more.

"Not this time! Quilava, meet miltank head on with a flame wheel!" Adrian ordered.

Quilava jumped and curled into a flame wheel and spun towards its foe. As quilava approached its speed increased, as did the size of the flames surrounding its body. The two rolling pokemon slammed into each other, causing a large explosion in the middle of the battlefield. Snivy shielded its eyes from the dirt and smoke that blew back at it. Snivy let out a few soft coughs as the smoke cleared enough for her and the four trainers to see the middle of the battlefield. As the smoke cleared Samantha let out a soft gasp, while Whitney fell to her knees. Miltank lay unconscious on the ground with an unmoving quilava lying beside her.

"Looks like miltank and quilava are both unable to battle. Since snivy is still standing, looks like you two totally win!" Samantha stated happily.

"No! No, it's not fair!" The pink-haired gym leader sobbed from beside her friend. "We aren't supposed to lose!"

"Come on, Whit." The blonde girl said, kneeling next to her friend. "You can't keep getting so upset whenever you don't win a battle. These boys and their pokemon fought hard and earned this win." She said with a grin. She looked across the battlefield at the two boys who were currently holding their respective starter pokemon and praising them for a battle well fought.

"B... but they hurt my poor sentret and miltank…" The gym leader sniffled.

"You know that is a part of battling." The blonde laughed a little. "Come on, let's go give those boys their badges." She stood and offered her hand to the gym leader, who took it and slowly got to her feet as well.

"Fine…" She mumbled as she stifled her last few sniffles and began to walk with her friend across the field to her miltank and the two boys.

The gym leader approached her miltank and helped the milk cow pokemon to her feet, the entire time praising the pokemon for the strength it showed during that battle, defeating three of the pokemon it faced. The normal-type mooed softly in response to its trainer's praise. Both boys smiled at the gym leader's affection for her pokemon. After a few moments of checking on miltank, Whitney finally turned to the boys.

"Sorry about all of that…" Whitney said meekly. "I just really hate losing and seeing my cute little pokemon get hurt." She explained. "But for real, you guys really did earn this." As she spoke she produced two small yellow diamonds with silver borders. "This is the Plain Badge. It shows that you defeated me in a gym battle and helps qualify you for the Silver Conference." She handed a badge to each boy.

"Thank you very much, Whitney. You too, Samantha. You two are really strong." Chance complimented the two with a large smile.

"Yeah… That was a very interesting battle, to say the least." Adrian added, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, Whitney totally likes to use brute force to overpower her opponents. I battle much the same way. You guys handled miltank pretty well!" Samantha praised. Both boys thanked her for her compliments.

"Well! Now that we have that out of the way! I think it is time for us to head back home, Sammie." Whitney exclaimed happily. Her slightly taller friend gave her a quick nod and both women said their goodbyes to the victorious trainers before heading south towards Goldenrod City.

"I guess it's time that we get packed up and head for Ecruteak, yeah?" The blonde asked his friend.

"Yeah, I think we are ready." The redhead smiled as Snivy hopped up onto his shoulder to curl up once more.

* * *

 **So, due to a few suggestions via pm and talking with a few of my readers I have decided to go with the name change to "Heir to the Champion's Crown" as what I currently have sounds more like a generic/in-progress title. Thanks for the feedback. And as always, thanks for reading. 3**


	20. Sticky Situation!

Route 37 was a nice change of pace for the boys. The dense forests of the previous route thinned out, allowing for long stretches of their journey to be through more open areas. The availability of more room allowed for the boys to train more easily with their pokemon before reaching Ecruteak City. Chance was very happy to give his onix a chance to stretch and train without destroying half a forest in the process.

Chance spent much of the next two days working with scyther and hoothoot. Scyther spent a lot of time working with its attack power, as well as spending time with Chance trying to get him to become more comfortable being around others, as he was still nervous around other people and pokemon. Hoothoot, who Chance was expecting to be the ace in his next gym battle, spent more time perfecting its confusion attack. The owl pokemon made significant progress, moving on from juggling berries with its mind to lifting small boulders and other objects, including staryu and elekid a few times.

On the other hand, Adrian largely worked with tentacool and elekid. Tentacool was working on mastering acid and turning the move into acid spray. The jellyfish pokemon was finding a decent amount of success in increasing the amount of acid it produced, as well as the potency of the vile ooze. Elekid was continuing to master its ability to release electricity in the form of thunder shock. The electric pokemon was now able to generate small sparks consistently, however, it was unable to channel those sparks into a sustainable, long range attack.

"Come on, Elekid. Try and store up more electricity before releasing it this time." Adrian encouraged the baby pokemon during one of their pit stops. He was met with an annoyed elekid rapidly spinning his arms while sparks flew between the two plugs on its head. The little pokemon let out a loud cry as it let out the stored electricity, unfortunately for it, the thunder shock struck scyther, who had been working on cutting through a thick log several yards away.

Scyther quickly recovered from the electricity that momentarily surged through its body and was on elekid within seconds, slashing wildly at the little pokemon. Elekid was quick to dodge each scythe that flew at its tiny body, as were both trainers in getting the two pokemon apart before any injury was sustained.

"Come on, Scyther! Enough!" Chance yelled at the mantis pokemon as he grabbed one arm, while snivy wrapped the other in its vines. Elekid took the moment of reprieve to retreat behind his trainer's legs. Scyther strained against his trainer and the vines, attempting to break free and continue its revenge on its attacker. "Scyther!" The redhead yelled loudly. "Calm down!"

Slowly the bug-type began to calm its body, its breathing began to slow to a more normal pace, yet it still glared at the electric pokemon. After a few minutes of scyther calming down, Chance and snivy released him, but made sure to stand between him and elekid.

"Elekid." Adrian said in a stern voice. "You need to apologize. You can't throw a tantrum because training is hard. You hurt one of your friends." Elekid looked up into the angry face of his trainer and immediately burst into tears, shocking his trainer. In the moment of surprise at that reaction, elekid turned and ran into the nearby trees, quickly disappearing from sight.

"Shit." The blonde mumbled before taking off after his baby pokemon. "Quilava, Nidoran, come on!" He called to his two land dwelling pokemon to help him looked.

"Hoothoot, mind helping them look from the air, please?" The redheaded trainer asked his flying pokemon. The little owl quickly nodded and soared off into the trees as well.

"Come on, Scyther. We are going to go help them, too." He motioned for the mantis pokemon to follow, but after a few steps he was sure the bug-type wasn't budging. He turned back and knelt before his pokemon. "Look, you guys might not belong to the same trainer, but you and elekid are still a team. Every pokemon that I own and every one that Adrian has are part of one big team. One big family. We might not always get along, but we still have to watch out for each other." As he spoke the bug-type's tense body relaxed a small bit. "I know you're young, energetic, and easily excitable, but you have to learn to be patient. Elekid is still learning. He is still just a baby. He needs strong pokemon like you to teach him how to control his own power and how to be strong and reliable. Think you can forgive him for his tantrum and help us find him?"

Scyther let his body relax a bit more and let out a slow nod. The mantis pokemon then took to the air and led his trainer and snivy into the forest. Chance called back to onix to watch over tentacool and staryu while they were gone, and quickly disappeared into the forest with his other two pokemon.

* * *

"See anything yet, Hoothoot?" Adrian called up to the owl pokemon who flew overhead.

"Hoo…" It cooed softly, landing above the blonde and shaking its head in the negative.

"Damn… Elekid where did you go?" He cursed softly, hitting the tree beside him in frustration. "Alright, Quilava and Nidoran, you two scout ahead. Hoothoot, mind doing a large loop in the sky for me?" The three pokemon nodded and sped off in their given directions. "Elekid…" He said softly, slowly following his pokemon forward.

* * *

Elekid continued to wander through the dense shrubbery of the forest floor. As he walked he lashed out at random sticks and stones that got in his way. He tried to convince himself that he was irritated at his trainer for constantly pushing him to master the release of electricity, but truthfully he was mad at himself. He felt like he was consistently letting down his trainer by not being able to master the most basic of electric-type moves. No matter how much he tried he could not focus the release of his thunder shock. The wild release of weak electricity was far from being a viable attack in any battle.

Elekid grumbled to himself as he pushed through another thick bush, swatting the foliage aside. As Elekid pushed through the last branches of the foliage only to quickly find itself walking into a string-like substance that stuck onto his body. Elekid began to struggle, but the squirming of his body only caused more of the white strings to wrap around him. The Electric pokemon looked up to see what was coating his body, only to see a large web with several large spider pokemon. The bug pokemon, alerted to the struggling, immediately started to crawl down the web and towards their smaller prey. The approach of the large spiders elicited a loud cry from the baby pokemon, who began to struggle once more.

* * *

"Any sign of Elekid, Scyther?" The redhead asked the mantis pokemon, who was cutting a path through the underbrush for his trainer. Before the bug-type could respond a loud cry was heard from deeper within the forest. "That was Elekid! It had to be!" Chance said, urgency laced his voice. Scyther immediately began to charge forward in the direction of the cry, followed closely by his trainer and Snivy.

Scyther's fury cutter was able to clear the brush out of the trio's way almost instantaneously as they ran towards the shrieks of the pokemon they were seeking. Within minutes they broke through some the bushes and came to the origin of the cries. As Scyther cut through the last large bush, the group saw three large, red spiders wrapping Elekid in their thread and pulling it higher into their web. The moment they broke into the clearing, Elekid began to struggle and scream once more, the appearance of his friends causing a rush of renewed energy in the little pokemon.

"Elekid!" Chance yelled out, accessing the situation he found the small pokemon in. "Scyther, get Elekid away from those Ariados! Quick attack!"

Scyther nodded before shooting through the air and slashing at the three Ariados and forcing them back from Elekid. Scyther slashed at the threads that held Elekid to the web and sent the wailing pokemon falling to the ground towards Chance's waiting arms.

"Elekid! Thank god you aren't hurt! Snivy, help me get these webs off." The redhead and Snivy quickly went to work trying to remove the thick threads that had been wrapped around the electric pokemon. As the two worked, Scyther continued to hold back the three opposing bug-types, but was quickly losing ground. Chance removed a large chunk of the webbing from Elekid, getting closer to freeing the pokemon. He reached for another section of the web, but was stopped as Scyther was slammed against a nearby tree by three dark black beams that were being fired into his body.

"Shit. Snivy, use leaf tornado to get them off Scyther. Quick!" He commanded his starter.

Snivy jumped in the air and began to rotate, sending a tornado of razor sharp leaves towards her foes. The attack worked to stop the three bugs from shooting the night shade attack from their eyes, but immediately drew their attention to the grass-type. Snivy found herself dodging around a large barrage of purple needles as the three spiders shot poison stings at the grass snake. She nimbly evaded several rounds of the onslaught, but was quickly subdued when a needle struck her leg and threw her off balance, allowing the rest of the needles to strike her and send her crashing to the ground before her trainer.

"Snivy!" Chance called as he rushed to his pokemon's aid. "Scyther, hold them off!" He yelled as he picked up his injured pokemon.

Scyther leapt forward and began using his fury cutter to hold back the opposing bug-types. The mantis pokemon did well holding off its three foes, causing a large amount of damage to the first one it hit once it returned to the battle, but the battle was slowly turning against it once more. Elekid, seeing this, let out a yell as it broke free from the remaining webbing that bound its body. As one of the Ariados moved forward to bite Scyther with its glowing mandibles, it was struck in the side by Elekid's quick attack and tossed off the web, hitting the forest floor hard.

"Nice job, Elekid!" Chance called out to the baby pokemon, returning his defeated starter. "Keep it up you two! You guys got this!"

Scyther continued to do its best to hold off the two spiders before it, but their long range attacks kept it at bay. Elekid quickly began to encounter the same problem, having to use its swift attack to block a barrage of poison stings.

The two pokemon were slowly being forced together by the three spiders, who were trying their best to regroup as a threesome to better press their advantage. One of the Ariados lurched forward once more with a glowing set of mandibles, hoping to bite down onto Elekid, but was thrown back when it was struck by a brown blur that had swept through the battlefield. Chance turned to see where the blur went after bolting through the battle, and was happy to see his Hoothoot leading Adrian and his pokemon into the area.

"Adrian! Elekid and Scyther need help!" The redhead called to his friend as he broke through the underbrush. The blonde's eyes swept across the battlefield to take in the scene, widening as they landed on his Elekid.

"Elekid!" He yelled out happily. "Quilava, go back them up! Use quick attack on the Ariados on the left! Nidoran, horn attack on the one on the right!" He commanded.

His two pokemon charged forward and joined the battle. Quilava got there first, slamming into an Ariados and knocking it away from Scyther. Nidoran quickly followed and forced a second Ariados away from Elekid. This left one Ariados to fight with Scyther, while Elekid ran to his trainer, who happily scooped up the baby pokemon.

"Elekid! I am so happy to see you're okay!" He hugged his pokemon while he spoke. "I am sorry I was so hard on you, buddy. I just want to help you get stronger."

Elekid returned the tight embrace of his trainer, but the reunion didn't last long, as Scyther was knocked back against a tree once more. Elekid watched the exhausted and injured mantis try to stand once more to fend off the rapidly approaching spider, but to no avail. Hoothoot had joined Nidoran in the effort to take down one of the other Ariados, and Quilava was busy with the third, leaving no other pokemon free to stop the spider from finishing off Scyther.

"Ele!" Elekid yelled out as he leapt from his trainer's arms and charged to Scyther's side. Elekid jumped over his fallen comrade and stood between the two bug-types. Ariados's mouth began to glow once more as it resumed its charge, much to Elekid's dismay.

"Come on, Elekid! You got this!" He heard his trainer call out as his foe neared.

"Ele…" He squeaked out in fear. He then saw Scyther fail to stand once more from the corner of his eye, causing him to steel himself once more. "Ele! Elekid!" He cried out as his arms spun beside him. Electricity began to quickly gather between his horns, which he then launched at the spider. The blast was strong enough to throw the bug-type several feet back and into the base of a nearby tree.

"Great job, Elekid!" Adrian shouted from behind him. Elekid quickly realized that it had successfully released a fully powered thunder shock attack. Elated at this fact, he charged forward, his arms spinning wildly beside him once more. He released a second thunder shock on the slowly recovering Ariados, forcing it back beside the one that was losing its battle against Hoothoot and Nidoran.

"Adrian, time to finish this up." Chance said to his friend as he knelt down beside his Scyther. Adrian responded with a quick nod.

"Quilava, force Ariados together with the other two and hit them all with a full power flame wheel!" He commanded his starter pokemon.

It was easy enough for Quilava to use his quick attack to toss his foe into the other two, causing a tangled jumble of angry legs flailing around in the air. The other pokemon took a step back as Quilava flipped into the air, the fire on his back erupting into a spinning inferno around his body. Quilava spun through the air and slammed into the three Ariados, sending them flying through the underbrush and crashing into a large rock. None of the three foes moved after this powerful attack.

* * *

The group took the time to recover after the battle. Chance used his remaining potions and antidotes to help his Snivy and Scyther recover from a few of their injuries. In the meantime, Adrian praised Elekid with his newfound ability to use thunder shock. An hour after the battle, the group had made it to their small camp and reunited with the pokemon that had remained there. The group decided that after the events of the day that it would be wise to take the rest of the day and rest, rather than continuing their journey to Ecruteak City.

While the two trainers took to setting up their camp for the evening and preparing their dinner, Elekid stayed close to Scyther. The baby electric pokemon had begun to see the mantis pokemon as a friend of sorts. He trusted Scyther, after the bug-type had worked so hard and sustained so much injury to rescue him. Scyther, in turn, liked the little yellow pokemon hanging around it. Scyther showed a lot of pride for Elekid overcoming its struggles with using electric attacks to help rescue him from danger. The two remained together for the rest of the evening. Elekid helping Scyther move around, as the mantis was sore from the sustained injuries, and the two seemed to talk in their own way and continue to bond. This sight made Chance happy, as Scyther really hadn't formed a truly strong bond with any of their other pokemon yet.

The sun slowly set over the group as they enjoyed the newfound closeness and the budding friendship between their pokemon. Both trainers saw these moments as a good omen for the upcoming gym battle.


	21. History and Rivalry!

Around midday the day after the Ariados event, the group entered Ecruteak City. Chance, Adrian, Snivy, and Elekid took in the city with a sense of relief to finally be in civilization once more. The boys were happy to have a chance to heal up their pokémon at a real pokémon center, as well as sleep in a real bed. Snivy, from her perch atop her trainer's head, seemed to love the scent of the city. The town was much like Azalea Town, as the architecture was very old and the city blended both the aspects of living in a city, as well as living in nature almost perfectly. Elekid, from his spot in Adrian's arms, enjoyed seeing a town that wasn't as loud as Goldenrod City, the only city he had seen since hatching.

The boys immediately went to the pokémon center to give their pokémon a much needed treatment and rest. While their pokémon were being healed the boys sat at a table in the pokémon center and began to discuss plans for their time in the city.

"So, anything cool here aside from the gym?" Chance asked his friend, who gave him a bit of a surprised look. "…What?"

"Of course there are things to see here aside from the gym!" The blonde replied, excitement lacing his voice. "Ecruteak is home to some of the most prominent historical locations in all of Johto!" The Johto native's excitement grew as he spoke.

"Okay, so like what? What do you want to see while we are here?"

"Well, they have the Burned Tower, which was formerly the Brass Tower before the tragedy years ago that destroyed the tower and gave birth to the legendary beasts, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. There is also its sister tower, the Bell Tower, which is still intact and is a sacred place that is kept for Ho-Oh to return to if it so chooses."

"Wow. So this place is the home to a lot of legendary pokémon, isn't it?" The blonde nodded happily in response. "Also, I have to admit, I didn't think you were such a history buff." The redhead smiled at his friend.

"I wouldn't say I am a history buff, per say. I just really enjoy the myths involving legendary pokémon and their origins. This whole city is the origin story for a lot of the legendary pokémon of the region, so it has always been a place I wanted to visit."

"Well, I am guessing it would be pretty fun and interesting to visit both towers, so I wouldn't be against spending the rest of the day going and seeing them. Anything else here that you want to see?"

"Just one. I would like to visit the Ecruteak Dance Theatre, if you don't mind."

It was the redhead's turn to be confused now. "Since when are you interested in dancing?" He questioned.

"It isn't for the dancing. The theatre has actually become something much more in recent years. See, the theatre used to be just an attraction where the Kimono Girl sisters would entertain guests with their dancing and occasionally pokémon battles. However, recent years have changed it into a bit of a preserve where Eevee are raised. They take in abandoned and injured Eevee and help nurse them back to health. They also do a bit of breeding to help increase the population at a controlled rate, as Eevee has become increasingly rare in the Johto region due to trainers seeking them out due to their versatility. It doesn't help that many poachers hunt Eevee because they can be sold for a huge profit. So they are protected and raised here."

"Wow. I had no idea that things were so bad for Eevee around these parts. Yeah, I would love to stop in and see the place. It would be nice to learn more about the Eevee here and maybe even get to battle the Kimono Girls to help prepare us for the gym battle." Chance smiled to his friend.

"Sounds good to me!" Adrian returned the smile warmly. "So, the towers first, and we can check out the theatre later this afternoon. Gym tomorrow, and tomorrow afternoon we can head on out. Right?"

"Sounds good." The redhead nodded.

As they finished their planning a light bell dinged from the front counter of the pokémon center. The boys turned to see Nurse Joy standing at the counter with two trays of poké balls.

"Your pokémon are all healed up and ready to go!" She smiled. "I hope you both have a wonderful day and good luck on your journey!"

The boys thanked her before heading out, Chance immediately calling Snivy out to ride on his shoulders like normal, while Adrian called out Elekid, who he had grown accustomed to carrying around. The small group quickly set out towards the Burned Tower in the northwestern area of the city.

* * *

Locating the Burned Tower, the first destination of the day, wasn't difficult for the boys. In the far northwest corner of the town, the lower floors of a charred tower stood, solemnly watching over the town. The remnants of the tower had become a memorial and shrine dedicated to both Ho-Oh and the three sacred beasts that had been born through the disaster that destroyed the originally beautiful tower.

"Here stands the Burned Tower, once the Brass Tower. This tower stands as a beacon of hope that one day people and pokémon will stand together in peace and harmony." Adrian read from the plaque that stood before the entrance to the tower.

The tower was marked as off limits to visitors, as it was not stable enough to allow tourists to traverse the charred floors, but the area was still made a site of learning. Several large signs stood around the area, each offering different information about the history of the tower, the legendary pokémon, and of Ecruteak City as a whole.

"The Brass Tower burned many years ago when a bolt of lightning struck the tower. The tower erupted in flames, causing the legendary pokémon, Lugia, to flee from its roost. However, Lugia caused a torrential downpour as it fled, extinguishing the blaze. Unfortunately, not all pokémon escaped the tower. Three pokémon perished in the inferno, but were given new life by the legendary Ho-Oh. These three pokémon rose as the beasts: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. These beasts now roam the land, protecting the world from tragedies." Chance read from the next sign. Elekid looked saddened by the story that the sign told. The baby pokémon shivered in his trainers arms.

"Don't worry, buddy. That all happened a long time ago, and the pokémon that were trapped aren't gone. Ho-Oh gave them new strength as the guardians of this region." His trainer reassured him.

"There is one more sign. It probably tells the last part of the story. Want to hear it, Elekid?" Chance asked the pokémon in his friend's arms. The baby pokémon nodded slightly before his trainer started to read it.

"The three legendary beasts, Raikou – Born of the lightning that struck the tower; Entei – Born of the fire that engulfed the tower; and Suicune – Born of the rain that extinguished the flames, were charged by Ho-oh to travel the lands, working to protect both people and pokémon alike from any tragedy that may befall them. While the beasts have their own quest, the legendary bird pursues its own quest. Ho-Oh roams the world in hopes of finding a pure-hearted trainer that will aid it in leading the world into an era of peace and harmony. We remember these legendary beings as protectors of this land, offering them sanctuary within this city. The Bell Tower stands beside the Burned Tower as a beacon of hope for its fallen twin, as well as a sanctuary for Ho-Oh and the legendary beasts if they return to these lands." The redhead finished.

"I don't think I will ever tire of that story." The blonde sighed, content with hearing about this historic monument. Elekid also smiled from his arms. Snivy gave a small nod of respect to the blackened tower before the group departed east, towards the sister tower.

* * *

The Bell Tower was only a short walk across town from the Burned Tower, however, upon reaching the entrance to the Bellchime Trail, the boys found that the site was currently closed to the public.

"Sorry, guys. The Bell Tower is currently closed to the public. No visitors or tourists allowed in. Only officials are allowed past the gates." The security guard explained.

"Is there a reason why?" A disappointed Adrian asked the man.

"Unfortunately, that information is kept private. Even we guards aren't given full details about why the area is closed off. Could be a simple maintenance period where the monks that live there want space to do repairs to the tower, or it could be that Ho-Oh or one of the beasts has returned. It's anyone's guess, really." The man half sighed to himself.

"Well that sucks… Any idea when it will be open again." The blonde asked.

"No idea, sorry kids. Only the monks and maybe Morty, the gym leader here, would have that information." He explained.

At this the two disappointed boys thanked the man and turned to leave, heading back into town.

"Well, now what?" Chance asked his downtrodden friend.

"I guess we can go to the dance theatre a bit earlier than we had planned, if you want." The blonde offered. "That or we can get some training in for tomorrow." Adrian plopped down on a bench as he presented the options to his companion.

"Hm… I guess we could train for a bit. According to the maps I have seen since being here, there is a decent sized lake here that we could let Staryu and Tentacool train in for a bit." The redhead suggested.

"That doesn't sound bad. Those two could use a good stretch. The lake is in the northeastern side of town, we just have to backtrack a bi-" The blonde was cut off as a large shadow swept across them. Both boys quickly stood and turned in the direction of the shadow, Snivy jumping to stand on her trainer's shoulder to get a better view.

The boys were greeted by the sight of a large silver bird making a wide turn to come back towards them. The wide wings of the bird sparkled in the sunlight, the rays bouncing off the metallic feathers as it neared them. Atop the bird sat a dark-haired individual, who let out a small wave as the bird slowed into a descent.

"Do we know him…?" Chance asked slowly, trying to use his hand to hide the glare coming off the metallic wings to get a better look at the rider.

"Yes, yes I do." Adrian replied with a sigh.

The large bird slowed and eventually landed a few feet away from the boys. The rider quickly dismounted and stood beside the tall bird.

"Thanks for the lift, Skarmory." The man scratched the neck of the bird before recalling it and turning to the boys, one of which was surprised and confused by the sudden appearance of this stranger, while the other stood with a mild look of annoyance. "Hey!" The black-haired man greeted, pushing his short bangs out of his face, revealing bright green eyes. He fussed with his hair for a moment until it stood up, assumedly in its 'natural' look.

"What are you doing here?" Adrian asked with annoyance. "You could have told me you would be out this way."

"Where is the fun in that?" The black-haired man responded. "And to answer your question, Aaron told me you would be around here based on when you two last talked, and I had to be out here anyways, so figured I would keep an eye out for ya." The man crossed his arms and shrugged, much to the blonde's increasing annoyance.

"Uhhh… Who is this?" Chance asked his companion.

"This would be Adam, one of my older brothers…" He explained. Adam smiled and nodded at this explanation.

"And you must be Chance, the guy traveling with Adrian." He extended his hand, offering it to the redhead. "Nice to meet ya." Chance quickly returned the handshake, which was more firm than he expected.

"Uh, nice to meet you too, I guess." He stammered out, not used to being caught so off guard. "What brings you out here? If it's alright that I ask, that is."

"I am actually out here training with a cousin of ours. He has a Croconaw that just doesn't seem to want to listen. Seems it lost a bit of faith in its trainer due to some trouble learning hydro pump" He explained. "My Feraligatr and I decided we would come out this way and coach them a bit."

"A Croconaw, huh? Stacy started her journey with a Chikorita, so that must mean that Nolan chose Totodile?" Adrian questioned his brother.

"Yup. The little guy is a little powerhouse, too." Adam confirmed to his brother.

"Joy. That is just what he needs." Adrian groaned. "More for him to be arrogant about."

"Actually, I think he has calmed down a bit since the last time you saw him. I mean, he is still a bit over confident in his abilities, but he was smart enough to reach out to me for help when he needed it. Maybe he is growing him." The older male shrugged. "If you would like to see for yourself, I left him at the pokémon center training field to keep practicing with Croconaw."

"I guess I should at least say hi…" The blonde sighed.

* * *

The trio quickly made their way through Ecruteak City and back towards the pokémon center. The walk only took a few minutes, as Adam seemed to easily navigate the streets of the town. The boys walked around the side of the center to see a brown-haired boy training with his Croconaw. The water-type was blasting targets that had been set up with powerful bursts of water, however, neither it nor its trainer seemed overly pleased with the results.

"Come on. We are so close, Croconaw. You just have to get a bit more power in there. Your attacks have the right power on release, but too much is escaping." The brunette said, frustration filling his voice.

"It is a huge improvement from this morning." Adam called out from behind the brunette, who quickly turned around to see the trio approaching him.

"Hey! Yeah, that is true I guess." He rubbed his head sheepishly. "Hey, Adrian! Long time no see! Finally out here on your own journey?" He questioned his cousin, extending his hand in the process.

"Yeah, three badges so far. You?" The blonde replied, shaking the offered hand.

"I've got six, actually." The brunette said with pride, revealing his almost full badge case.

"Wow. Not bad." Adrian responded, mostly hiding his annoyance. "Nolan, this is Chance. He and I are traveling together." The blonde gestured to the redhead that stood behind him in introduction.

"Nice to meet you." The redhead waved.

"Likewise." The brunette nodded.

"Hey Nolan," Adam said from behind the other two boys. "How about you treat Adrian to a battle? Would help both of you out a bit."

"I'm game. Could teach the newbie a thing or two." Nolan replied with a hint of smugness.

"You've only been at this like three weeks longer than I have…" Adrian sighed.

"I'd do it just to shut him up…" Chance whispered to his friend.

"Ugh. Fine." Adrian relented.

"Great! Just a quick one-on-one?" Adam asked, quickly getting two nods. "Cool. I will judge it."

Both boys took their places on opposite sides of the practice field, while Adam stood on the side acting as the referee. Chance casually leaned against a tree off to the side of the field, Snivy in his arms and Elekid standing at his feet.

"Alright, let's show him what we're made of! Take 'em down, Pinsir!" Nolan shouted out, summoning the large, brown insect.

"Nidoran, let's do this!" Adrian called out simultaneously. The Poison Pin pokémon stomped its foot in the dirt as it stared at the much larger foe.

"Whoa. He has a Pinsir?" Adrian heard his friend gasp in surprise.

"Ha! I remember your little Nidoran! I hope you've been training it well if you think you can take on me and Pinsir." The brunette smirked at his cousin.

"Ignore them, Nidoran. We've got this." Adrian said, the confidence in his voice hiding the doubt he had as he stared at the large Stag Beetle pokémon. "Get this started with horn attack!"

"Big mistake coming in close! Brick break!"

Nidoran's horn glowed a bright white as it charged the bug-type, but as he leapt in the air to slam his horn into Pinsir's chest he was quickly brought down by a glowing right hand that slammed into his back, slamming him hard into the ground.

"Now use vital throw!" Nolan commanded.

Pinsir grabbed Nidoran off the ground and threw it into the ground a few feet away, causing a small crater to form where the poison-type impacted.

"Nidoran! Can you keep going?" Adrian shouted out to his injured pokémon, who stood up and nodded before stomped the ground with his front foot once more. "Alright, let's try and hit it with a poison sting!"

The barrage of purple needles was enough to do a bit of damage to the large bug-type, but not enough to stop Pinsir from charging forward with a second brick break attack. Pinsir repeatedly slammed its glowing hands down at the poison-type, who worked hard to nimbly dodge each attack. However, Nidoran's luck quickly ran out, as Pinsir's hand slammed into his left side and sent him flying through the air and crashing to the ground once more.

"Pinsir, let's finish this! Guillotine!" Nolan ordered his pokémon.

The large horns on Pinsir's head began to glow a bright white as it charged towards the fallen Nidoran. Pinsir began to lower its head to grab Nidoran and finish the battle, but just before it was able to make contact with the Poison Pin pokémon, Nidoran jumped past Pinsir, causing the powerful attack to slam into the ground, causing a large explosion of dust to erupt from the ground. Nidoran stood behind the large bug-type and began to glow a bright white, causing Nolan, the closest trainer to where Nidoran currently stood, to have to avert his eyes slightly. The light quickly faded, revealing a pokémon that stood about a foot taller and looked much more fierce and much angrier than Nidoran. Nidoran's legs grew much larger and more powerful, while his horn and every spike on his body grew much larger.

"Whoa." Gasped Chance from behind his friend, taking a few steps forward.

"Nidoran? You evolved!" Adrian shouted out happily. "I knew you had to be close to ready to evolve." He smiled at his newly evolved pokémon, who nodded happily.

"Wow. That is surprising. But that doesn't mean you've won. Pinsir! Finish this!" Nolan ordered his surprised pokémon.

Pinsir charged the newly evolved Nidorino, its horns glowing once more. It again found itself slamming into the ground, as a much more agile Nidorino jumped to the side and released a spray of poison stings once more. Pinsir recoiled in pain much more visibly this time.

"You got this, Nidorino! Horn attack!" The blonde shouted to his pokémon.

Nidorino stopped the barrage of needles and charged his foe once more, slamming into the large pokémon's body, but before he fell back to the ground, he slammed a glowing purple foot into Pinsir's side.

"What was that?" Adrian wondered out loud.

"That was a poison jab." Adam commented from the sidelines.

Pinsir slowly made its way back to its feet. Nidorino never broke focus on the injured and exhausted pokémon.

"Nidorino, let's end this! Poison jab once more!" Adrian ordered the Poison Pin pokémon.

"Pinsir, stop it with guillotine once more!" The brunette commanded.

Pinsir summoned the last of its strength as Nidorino charged forward. The moment Nidorino leapt from the ground to land the final strike on its foe, Pinsir quickly lowered its head and grabbed Nidorino in its glowing pincers. Nidorino cried out in pain before it was thrown and slammed into the ground. Nidorino laid motionless for several moments before Adam yelled from the sidelines.

"Nidorino is unable to battle! Pinsir and Nolan are the victors!" The black-haired trainer called out.

"Nidorino, you did great." The blonde smiled as he recalled his defeated pokémon.

"I will say, I'm impressed." The brunette said as he approached his cousin. "Your Nidorino fought well, but you two have a long way before you're gonna beat me." A cocky grin spread across his face as he spoke.

"It was actually pretty close, given how many more badges you have." Chance said as he approached the three boys who now stood in the center of the training field.

"I guess." Nolan laughed as he turned and began to walk away. "Adam, you ready to get back to training? Croconaw and I are ready to master hydro pump." He said over his shoulder, a large grin across his face.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." Adam laughed. "You said you two plan to challenge the gym tomorrow, yeah?" Adrian and Chance both nodded to the older trainer. "Good. I am staying at a hotel a few blocks away and Nolan and I are mostly training here at this practice field, make sure I know before you head over there. I would love to see my little brother in a gym battle." Adam and Adrian shared a smile before Adrian gave his brother a nod.

"It's a deal. Tomorrow morning I will come get you." The blonde then turned to Chance. "But for now, we have some more sites to see and some more training to do." The redhead smiled at him as the two departed from Adam, who walked back over to his cousin to help coach him and Croconaw more. The two boys left the training field and began their walk towards the eastern part of town and the Kimono Girl Dance Theatre.


	22. Theatre of Dreams!

**I wanted to preface this chapter with a bit of an apology for the impromptu hiatus. My keyboard died unexpectedly and I was unable to procure a new one for a little bit. However, my writing station is back in working order and I took the time off to draft a lot of ideas and have many plans that I hope will come to fruition soon. Happy reading. 3**

* * *

The Kimono Girl Dance Theatre was much larger than either boy expected. The theatre was simply the first building within a small compound of three connected buildings, which had a wall surrounding their perimeter. There was a sign out front, telling the story of the Kimono Girls as well as the change from just a simple theatre into a safe place for Eevee to be raised properly. Both boys were fascinated by the elegant designs of the building and quickly made their way into the theatre.

They entered into a large, old fashioned dance theatre. The side of the room furthest from the door was dominated by a large, wooden stage, upon which five beautiful women were currently twirling in a very intricate dance. Between the stage and the entrance was a decent sized area where low tables with cushions spread around them were arranged for spectators to sit and enjoy the show. The entire area was lit by multicolored paper lanterns that were hung around the room. The crowd this afternoon appeared to be of a decent size. About a third of the seats were currently occupied with patrons who were mesmerized by the show.

Adrian quietly nudged Chance with his elbow to get his attention and usher him towards two empty cushions near them. The two trainers quickly took their seats and watched as the show continued before them. The five women on stage performed gracefully. Their dances seamlessly moved between being elegant and beautiful to moments where the pace would quicken and the dance seemed more drastic, but soon the dance would slow once more to an elegant melody once again. Both boys were amazed at the skill of the performers.

Before long, the final dance ended and the five women on the stage bowed to their audience, receiving a loud bout of applause. The women then quickly disappeared through a door near the corner of the stage.

"Oh what a wonderful performance." An elderly woman at a table in front of the boys said to her companions.

"Yes! Those girls really are talented!" A man with her said.

The entire room had quickly erupted into small conversations among parties about how enjoyable the show was. The crowd of people slowly began to stand and make their way out of the building to carry on with their afternoon, the conversations not ceasing for a moment.

"I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like that." Chance said, turning from the crowd to his friend.

"Me either. I told you it was worth it to come." The blonde said, a hint of smugness in his voice. "But I was told that they took challengers at times. I was hoping we could at least battle while we are here." His face quickly fell to a frown.

"Oh! Were you hoping to meet the girls?" A light voice asked from several tables away, causing both boys to turn with a start. They quickly realized that the voice came from a young girl, maybe a couple years younger than the two of them, with dark black hair that was pulled into a bun. She wore a green kimono with pink flowers on it.

"Uh, yeah." Adrian stammered out. "I thought it would be cool to see how strong they are. I have heard a lot about them being really strong Eevee trainers."

"Well, you did hear correctly." The girl stood up and walked over to the boys. "I bet I could get you two back there to meet them if you'd like. After all, they are my older cousins and my teachers!" She said with a huge smile.

"Tha- That would be great!" Adrian said, the disappointment leaving his face completely as he got to his feet. "I have wanted to meet them since I was little." The moment he realized what he said a small blush crossed his cheeks.

"Alright, let me go talk to them." She stood and turned to walk towards the door near the stage. "My name is Kimiko, by the way." She said over her shoulder with a smile.

"I'm Adrian, this is Chance." The blonde said, indicating to the redhead next to him.

"Kimi! You can't let these dweebs get a special audience for no reason." A familiar voice came from across the room. "If they didn't schedule anything then let them wait."

The boys turned to see Jade, Ryan, and Ian sitting at one of the few still occupied tables at the far edge of the room. Jade was now standing next to the table and her friends, scowling at the two boys across the room.

"Ah! Jade! It's so nice to see you!" The black-haired girl yelled as she ran over and embraced the girl. "Why didn't you tell us you would be here?" All four boys in the room seemed to look at the two girls in utter confusion as Kimiko hugged Jade, who, as her friends knew, generally hated to be touched.

"This would be exactly why." Jade said, her scowl deepening.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Ryan asked from his seat on the cushion.

"Of course! Jade here is my sister!" Kimiko yelled with joy.

"You have a sister?!" Ryan asked, mouth ajar with surprise.

"Yes. This is my little sister, Kimiko." The raven-haired girl replied, matter-of-factly. "The women we just saw dancing are our older cousins. Kimiko is here training to be just as prim and proper as them." She rolled her eyes at this.

"Oh! Let me go get them! They will be so happy to see you!" The younger girl squealed out, running across the room to fetch the dancers.

"Why didn't you ever tell us you were from Ecruteak?" Ryan asked his companion.

"Because I'm not." She replied with annoyance. "My sister and I are from Mahogany Town. Our parents just shipped us off here because they thought it would be good for us to learn how to be more lady-like. So stupid. I never should have let you two idiots drag me in here."

"Ha! Yeah. I can't even picture you in one of those silly dresses!" Ian laughed from beside his friend. "You are definitely not the prim and proper type!" He began laughing harder at his own statement, much to his friend's annoyance.

Across the room the two boys turned from the commotion and stared at each other. "So she is supposed to be in training to become one of these Kimono Girl Dancers?" Chance asked his friend.

"I guess? I don't know. She really doesn't seem to enjoy this place very much. Must be some family issues." The blonde replied.

Several long minutes passed, both groups of trainings deep in their own thoughts and conversations. During this time the last few stragglers finally made their way out of the theatre, leaving only the five trainers. Before long the rear door burst open once more. Kimiko charged out of the opening, followed by two other women running behind her. As the three women reached Jade, three other women exited the door into the theatre.

"Jade! It's been months! Where have you been?!" The first new girl asked loudly.

"We were so worried!" The second girl said, hugging Jade tightly.

"Sakura, Koume, please get off me." Jade replied bluntly.

"I agree. Step away from her." The last woman to enter the room said darkly.

"But Satsuki!" The first girl, Sakura, started to say, but was instantly silenced when she turned and looked at her sister.

"She has a lot to answer for." Satsuki replied, slowly walking closer to Jade.

"Pfft. As if." Jade scowled. "If that is what I am going to listen to then I am out of here." She turned to leave, but quickly found the last two women standing by the door.

"Jade, you disappeared without saying anything. We were all very worried." The woman with long purple hair said sadly.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to tell your parents that you vanished from your room? That is exactly why they sent you to train with us." The woman with shoulder length green hair added.

"I know you didn't enjoy living here and didn't enjoy the training you were going through." Satsuki started. "But we were never cruel or unfair to you. You abandoned your family and your pokémon without saying a word. That kind of disrespect is unforgivable."

"I don't remember asking for your forgiveness!" Jade shouted at the blue-haired woman. "I had to leave! You people were driving-" She stopped as she noticed a tiny head peeking through the door that the women had entered through. She stared at the door long enough to draw every eye in the room towards it. From behind the door emerged a small brown pokémon with a thick white collar of fur around its neck. The pokémon slowly took a few steps into the room, its head held low to the ground with its ears pressed down into its back. "Eevee…" Jade whispered, her voice breaking.

"Yes. Eevee. The pokémon you abandoned. The one whose heart you broke the day you left." Satsuki said harshly.

"Your poor Eevee used to be so energetic and full of life. But the last few months… She has become a shell of the pokémon she once was." The purple-haired woman spoke from the door.

"Tamao, you don't understand." Jade replied, a tear forming in her eye. "I had to leave here! I couldn't handle you all bossing me around anymore! But… But I couldn't take Eevee with me. I didn't know where I was going to go, and she deserved better than that. She needed to know she would always have a place to sleep and be warm and well fed… I left her here for her own good." She looked at her feet as she spoke, refusing to look at the Eevee's eyes.

"Your reasoning doesn't matter much. You still abandoned your pokémon." Satsuki replied.

"If you wanted what was best for Eevee then you should have stayed here with us…" Koume whispered to her cousin. "She needed you. She loved you." As the redheaded woman spoke to the younger girl, more tears began to form in Jade's eyes.

"Eevee… It was so hard to leave you." She whispered, falling to her knees. "I never wanted to hurt you. I'm so sorry." As her tears hit the floor, Eevee slowly made her way across the room to her former trainer, standing below her face, her ears still lying flat against her head. She slowly stepped up on Jade's bent knees and licked the crying girl's nose, making her open her eyes. The moment she saw Eevee staring up at her she began to cry harder, hugging Eevee close.

"Sakura, Sumomo, please take Jade someplace private so we can talk." Satsuki told two of her sisters. "Koume, Tamao, please entertain our guests, okay?"

The four sisters nodded, each departing to their respective task. As three of the sisters led Jade out of the room, followed quickly by Kimiko, who led Ryan and Ian through the door with her, the redheaded sister as well as a taller sister with purple hair approached Chance and Adrian.

"So, you two wanted to participate in one of our esteemed battles, is that right?" The purple-haired woman, Tamao, asked.

"If it would be alright with you, it would be an honor." Adrian replied with a quick nod.

"Then it's settled!" The redhead, Koume, said excitedly. "How about we two redheads battle and then you can take on my sister?" She asked, pointing to Adrian. The two boys nodded in reply. "Perfect! It will be a one-on-one battle. Come with me and I will take you to the battlefield in the garden." She said with a smile.

The small group was led through a quick series of doors before exiting the building into a garden that sat in the middle of the compound. The center of the garden was a standard, dirt battlefield, but the rest of the garden was a series of bright, fragrant flowers and a small stream that wound around the courtyard. Several trees were spread throughout the garden, providing shade for any who wished to relax in the serene environment. Koume quickly trotted to the far end of the battlefield and turned to face Chance as he approached his position.

"Alright! Let's get this started!" Koume shouted. "Flareon, let's go!" She threw a pink pokéball with a heart emblazoned on it high into the air. From the ball emerged a canine-like pokémon with orange fur covering the majority of its body, with large tufts of yellow fur covering the tail, as well as creating a collar around the pokémon's neck, and a final tuft on the top of its head.

"Hoothoot, come on out!" Chance called, summoning the Owl Pokémon. Hoothoot emerged in a flash of red light a few yards in front of Flareon, quickly shifting to standing on only his right foot and preparing to take flight.

"Just a Hoothoot? You better be taking us seriously! Flareon, fire spin!" Koume commanded the Flame Pokémon. Flareon shot a spinning stream of fire from its mouth at Hoothoot, who quickly leapt into the air to dodge the attack.

"Hoothoot, hit back with peck!" Chance called out. The Owl Pokémon dove down towards his foe, his beak glowing a bright white, but before he could make contact Flareon disappeared and reappeared above him before slamming into his back with a quick attack, followed immediately by a fire fang when the two hit the ground.

"Gotta try harder than that!" Koume teased happily. "Flareon, let it go and use fire spin again!"

"Get back up and use confusion, quick!" Chance said, a small amount of panic in his voice. Hoothoot quickly stood once again as Flareon created a bit of distance between the two before another stream of fire erupted from its maw, however, this time Hoothoot was able to grab the fire with its psychic abilities and redirect the stream back at Flareon. Flareon, much to its opponent's chagrin, didn't seem phased by the flames that bathed its body.

"That won't work on my Flareon. Its ability is Flash Fire, meaning fire attacks are only good to power it up!" Koume called out. "Now, quick attack again!"

"Stop it with confusion!" Chance called out. Flareon was stopped mid leap by Hoothoot's psychic energy, however, it was clear that Hoothoot couldn't hold it for long. "If reflecting your fire attacks won't work then we will have to stick to physical attacks. Throw it into the ground, quick!"

Just before the psychic hold on Flareon broke, Hoothoot threw it back and slammed it into the ground several yards away. As Flareon got back to its feet, Hoothoot began to glow a bright white, shocking everyone present. Hoothoot grew more than twice his original size as his small wings elongated into large, thick wings. The black horns above its eyes grew thicker as well, curving into large, cream-colored horns. His feathers darkened, with his wings becoming a dark brown, while his head and body became a lighter brown, with darker brown triangles across his stomach. The evolved pokémon spread its large wings before letting out a loud cry and taking to the air.

"Well, this should certainly make things more interesting." Koume commented, admiring the much larger Owl Pokémon.

"Noctowl, huh?" Chance said quietly, examining his pokédex to learn about the evolved form of his Hoothoot. "Noctowl, use confusion!" He called out.

Noctowl's large horns began to glow a bright blue before it released a beam of psychic energy at Flareon, who nimbly dodged to the side before launching a fire spin at the Owl Pokémon. Noctowl easily evaded the attack before its wings began to glow white. Noctowl slammed his glowing wings together, launching a light blue blade of air at Flareon, this time making contact with the Flame Pokémon. Flareon rolled across the dirt, but quickly jumped back to its feet.

"Flareon, let's show them what we're really made of! Hidden power!" Koume called out.

Flareon quickly summed six yellow orbs around its body before bringing them in front of it and launching them towards its foe with a cry. Noctowl dodged the first two orbs before getting struck by the remaining four, each bursting in a shower of electric sparks, causing the Owl Pokémon to crash to the floor.

"Noctowl is unable to battle!" Tamao called out after a moment. "Flareon is the winner!"

Koume shared a quick hug with her Flareon before congratulating Chance on his pokémon's evolution and a battle well fought. Chance, in turn, thanked her while recalling his pokémon to rest.

"Are you ready?" The purple-haired maiden asked Adrian as she walked past the boy towards where her sister had stood moments before.

"Of course!" Adrian replied excitedly, jumping to his feet and jogging to swap places with his own companion.

"One-on one. Let's go! Come on out, Umbreon!" Tamao shouted as she threw pokéball that had a large, yellow dot on each side as well as a lightning bolt emblazoned on the front.

From the ball emerged Umbreon, a black, fox-like pokémon with yellow circles on each leg, as well as a yellow stripe on each ear as well as its tail.

"I choose you, Quilava!" The blonde called out, summoning his starter pokémon. "Ready buddy? Let's hit them with ember!"

"Shadow ball" Tamao said calmly.

Umbreon conjured a purple and black pulsating sphere from its mouth and shot it towards the incoming spray of small fireballs. The two attacks collided and for a moment the orb of shadow energy kept moving forward, but the steady stream of fireballs eventually caused both attacks to end in a small explosion in the middle of the field.

"Quick attack." Tamao commanded in an even tone before the smoke dissipated.

Umbreon immediately shot out of the smoke and slammed into Quilava, sending him rolling across the battlefield.

"Don't give up! Use flame wheel, quick!" Adrian called out, shocked at the power of their opponent.

"Repel it with dark pulse." Tamao said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.

Umbreon stood its ground and released a beam of black energy from its mouth, which slammed into the spinning inferno that had engulfed Quilava and was flying through the air at the dark-type. The large flame wheel was quickly sent spinning back across the battlefield, where Quilava managed to end the attack and skid to a stop, luckily remaining on his feet and avoiding taking too much damage.

"This is not going well…" The blonde muttered. "Quilava, try a swift attack!"

"Swift as well."

The two pokémon shot out sprays of bright white stars that met between them, causing several small explosions as the attacks impacted against each other.

"Use smokescreen to add to the smoke!" Adrian called out, suddenly getting an idea. Once his pokémon had spewed out a large cloud of smoke he called out to him once more. "Now quick attack!"

Quilava launched itself through the plume of smoke that was now obscuring the battlefield, quickly rushing towards Umbreon in the hopes of landing a clean hit before it could find Quilava. The assault was successful, as the Volcano Pokémon slammed into Umbreon's side and sent it sliding a few feet backwards. Before the Moonlight Pokémon could recover, Quilava began to pelt it with an onslaught of embers and then jumped and dove into a flame wheel. The close-range attack almost hit its mark, but the moment before the attack impacted Umbreon, the eeveelution launched another dark pulse to both slow the approaching wheel as well as launch itself backwards and gain a small amount of distance. Nevertheless, the assault injured both combatants.

"Not bad." Tamao smirked. "Time to finish this up, Umbreon. Use giga impact!" Emotion finally appeared in the Kimono Girl's voice as she threw her hand out before her.

"Don't give up, Quilava! Flame wheel!" Adrian countered.

Quilava jumped and burst into a spinning wheel of fire once more as Umbreon charged forward, a purple energy with orange streaks spinning through it surrounding its body. The two pokémon collided in the middle of the field, the results being catastrophic for Quilava. The giga impact ripped through the flame wheel and slammed into the Volcano Pokémon, sending him flying across the field before slamming into the ground at his trainer's feet.

"Quilava!" Adrian called out, running the few feet between himself and his fallen pokémon. "You fought well, buddy. Take a long rest." He said softly to his pokémon, recalling him to recover.

"You fought well." Tamao said, offering her hand to her kneeling opponent. "Most people who battle me don't even get a single hit in." The blonde took the offered hand as the two spectators approached.

"It's true! Tamao is the second strongest of us. Only Satsuki is stronger!" Koume said cheerfully.

"Well, thanks." Adrian replied sheepishly. "I- We, Quilava and I, appreciate the chance to battle you at all. I am glad I made it at least a little entertaining for you."

"Indeed. I am betting that given some time you and that Quilava of yours will be some fierce opponents. I would like you to challenge me again when that day comes." The woman said with a smile.

"It's a deal!" The blonde replied happily.

"And you," Tamao motioned towards the redhead behind his friend. "Next time we meet if you can beat Koume then I will have to battle you as well. It was a very close battle." The praise earned a blush from the redheaded boy.

"Oh please! Flareon and I had everything under control." Koume said defensively. "But remember, I am one of the weaker Kimono Girls when it comes to battling. If you challenge any of the other girls you won't have such a fun time, so you better keep the fun between us." The redheaded woman said with a wink.

"Thanks. I think." Chance replied with a blush.

"Well, the battles were fun, but it is getting late and we really should check on our sister's and Jade." Tamao said, turning to head back into the building. "Thank you so much for stopping in for our show and providing us with some entertainment. Koume will show you out." The dark-haired woman then disappeared through a door while Koume led the boys back to the entrance of the compound.

"So, what is next for you two?" She asked as they stepped into the evening air once more.

"Well, tomorrow we plan to take on Morty, and if all goes well we will be leaving town after that to continue our gym challenge." Adrian explained.

"Morty is tough, but I think you two can handle it." Koume replied with a smile. "Best of luck!" She yelled out before disappearing back into the theatre entrance.

"Well, that was certainly an educational experience." Chance sighed to his friend.

"Hey, just because we both lost doesn't mean it wasn't super fun." The blonde replied. "That was all a dream come true for me." He said with a smile.

"Minus the part about one of our rivals making a room full of women start yelling."

"Yes, minus the Jade part." He smirked as both boys shared a laugh.

"So… Dinner?"

"Dinner." Adrian nodded as the two boys made their way through the quiet streets of Ecruteak City, already thinking up more strategies for their gym battles the following day.


	23. Rising Spirits!

As the sun's rays began to spread across the quiet town, the two boys made their way from the hotel room that Chance had gotten them to the pokémon center to meet up with Adam, who had wanted to watch his younger brother's gym battle. The three met up for a quick breakfast before Adam led the boys across town to the gym, where the Fog Badge awaited them.

The trio, and Snivy from her usual perch on Chance's backpack, made their final approach up the stone steps that led to the older looking building that houses the Ecruteak City gym. The building was modeled, much like the rest of the town, off ancient times, being very simple and made of wood, though it was much larger than many buildings in the town. Once the three trainers reached the large wooden doors, Adrian reached up to knock gently, but before his hand made contact the doors slid open, revealing the large interior of the building.

"I guess we were expected." Adrian laughed lightly as he stepped through the threshold and glanced across the large battlefield.

"Indeed you were." Came a voice from the other side of the room. "A few of my gym trainers were out training and saw you three climbing the steps up to my gym, so they let me know of your arrival."

The two younger boys looked over to the origin of the voice, now noticing the blonde man who stood at one end of the battlefield. The man wore a black sweatshirt, white pants, and a purple scarf and headband. He stood with his arms crossed before his chest, staring at the three trainers. A young girl with black hair stood several feet behind him, mirroring his stance.

"Welcome, trainers, to the Ecruteak City gym! I am Morty, the leader here." He called across the room. "How may I help you boys?"

"We have come to challenge you." Adrian said, stepping forward.

"Ah, both of you? My day will be starting off with a bang indeed." He said with a laugh while approaching the trio. "What are your names?" He asked when he neared them, offering his hand.

"I'm Adrian." The blonde replied, taking the offered hand.

"Chance." The redhead said with a nod.

"And I am Adam." The older male answered with a nod. "We have actually met before, when I earned the Fog Badge for myself."

"Ah, very nice to meet you two, and to see you again, Adam. I hope you are both prepared for a difficult match." He said with a grin.

"Our friend, Blake, told us about your type specialty, so we have been preparing. We won't be so easy either." The blonde replied as Morty began to walk away, causing the leader to stop in his tracks.

"Blake, you say?" He asked.

"You know Blake?!" The girl yelled out suddenly, quickly running to the two boys, getting a nod of confirmation from each of them. "Oh! He is my big brother!" She shouted as she reached them.

"Really? He didn't tell us we would be meeting any of his family here…" Chance replied slowly, caught off guard by the outburst from the girl.

"Yeah! I am training under Morty!" She said proudly. "He offered to help train me and my Missy because he and my brother are—"

"Good friends." The gym leader said, cutting her off with a smile and a hand on her shoulder. "Blake giving you pointers will definitely make things more interesting. Most people aren't prepared for my ghost-types. Let's see how you fare. Brenna, would you mind being the judge for these battles?" He asked the black-haired girl, who nodded and quickly trotted to the side of the battlefield, taking her place. Morty did the same, making his way back to the far end of the battlefield.

"These matches will be three-on-three. Is that agreeable to you both?" Morty called out, receiving two nods. "Good. Who will be challenging me first?"

"I'll go first." The redhead offered to his friend. The two shared a look for a moment before Adrian nodded, conceding to his friend.

"Perfect! Let's get this started then! Gastly, let's go!" Morty called out, summoning a pokémon that looked like a black head with a large mouth and eyes. The floating sphere was surrounded by a cloud of purple smoke that seemed to be emitted from the body, but quickly dissipated into the air.

"Staryu, I choose you!" Chance called out, throwing his lure ball high into the air and releasing the Star Shape Pokémon.

"Gastly, start us off with mean look!" Morty ordered the Gas Pokémon. Gastly's eyes glowed a dark purple before a beam of energy shot out and struck Staryu, though Chance was unable to see any damage that the attack had done.

"Looks like Morty is still using the same old tricks to test new trainers." Adam muttered. "I hope Chance figures out how to counter this quickly."

"Staryu, fight back with a water gun!" Chance ordered, still confused at the first attack from the gym leader.

"Night shade!" Morty called out.

Staryu released a stream of water from the top point of its body at the ghost-type, who retaliated with two black beams of energy from its eyes. The two attacks met in a stalemate halfway between the two pokémon, causing a small explosion. Before the smoke cleared a stream of bubbles launched through the smoke and slammed into Gastly, sending it crashing to the ground. Gastly slowly started to hover up from the ground, but Staryu came spinning in the air beside it before launching another water gun attack, taking Gastly down once more.

"Gastly is unable to battle!" Brenna called out from the sidelines. "Leader Morty will now send out his second pokémon!"

"Well, that was faster than I expected." Morty chuckled, recalling his Gastly. "You are much more fierce than I thought you would be. Let's see how you handle my next pokémon. Haunter, show them what a ghost pokémon can do!" From the pokéball emerged a purple gaseous pokémon with two hands floating beside it. The pokémon opened its wide mouth and flailed its tongue around at Staryu for a moment before laughing hysterically at its own antics. "Haunter, mean look then shadow punch!" Morty ordered.

"Staryu, dodge it and use bubble beam!" The redhead countered.

Staryu used rapid spin to try and avoid the dark tendrils that emerged from Haunter's eyes, but the ceaseless tendrils soon caught up to the water-type and left Chance confused as to the purpose of the attack once more. Once the mean look made contact Haunter began laughing while its two hands began to glow a dark purple before it threw them forward at Staryu, who released a torrent of bubbles to try to repel the attack. The stream of bubbles stopped several glowing fists, but Staryu failed to notice Haunter maneuver one hand to the side and slam into Staryu's flank, sending it sliding across the dirt battlefield.

"Staryu, get up and use water gun, quick!" Chance shouted out.

"Night shade." Morty said calmly.

Haunter blocked the water gun with a two black beams, much like Gastly did before it, however, Haunter was able to launch a second night shade right after the first one caused an explosion to stop the water gun. The attack slammed into Staryu, slamming it back into the ground and creating a small crater around it.

"This isn't good…" Chance muttered to himself. "Staryu, return!" He called out, raising the lure ball to recall his pokémon. The red beam hit Staryu, but much to Chance's surprise, dissipated without recalling the Star Shape Pokémon. "What? What's going on? Staryu, return!" Chance called out once more.

"It won't work." Morty said, arms crossed in front of his chest once more. "Mean look makes it so you can't switch out unless the user is knocked out or recalled. Your Staryu is here to finish its fight." The gym leader explained. "Now, Haunter, finish it off! Use lick to throw it in the air and slam it back down with shadow punch!"

Haunter's tongue snaked out and stretched several yards across the battlefield before wrapping around the injured water-type and throwing it up into the air. Chance called for Staryu to use rapid spin to get out of the way, but it was too slow. Haunter created a large purple fist above the Star Shape Pokémon and slammed it back down into the dirt. The dust cloud that was created slowly cleared, revealing an unmoving Staryu.

"Staryu is unable to battle! Chance will now use his second pokémon!" Brenna called out.

"You did a great job, Staryu." Chance muttered to his pokémon while recalling it. ' _He still has one more Pokémon… I have to keep Noctowl fresh for that, but Scyther and Snivy both are at a huge disadvantage here, and Blake said I really shouldn't use Onix until I have at least five badges…'_ He thought to himself while running his fingers across his remaining pokéballs. "Let's do this, Snivy!" He called out, summoning his starter pokémon.

"Ah, a rare sight to see way out in Johto. Where did you manage to get one of those?" Morty asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Professor Juniper gave her to me when I started my journey back in the Unova region." Chance explained.

"Hm. So you're from another region? Guess I should expect a few more surprises from you then. But a grass-type still won't do much here. Haunter, mean look then night shade!"

"Try and block it with a leaf tornado!" Chance shouted out to Snivy.

The Grass Snake Pokémon immediately jumped a few feet into the air and began to spin, calling forth a vortex of razor sharp leaves around it. The barrier of leaves looked like they would stop the mean look from hitting Snivy, but Haunter quickly levitated above the vortex and fired another mean look at its foe, hitting Snivy and once more making it so Chance would be unable to swap pokémon. Immediately following the successful attack, Haunter launched a black beam from each eye, which slammed into Snivy and drove her into the ground below where she had been spinning.

"Damn. Snivy, get up and use energy ball, quick!"

"Dodge it and use lick." Morty commanded, his tone growing even more calm.

Snivy conjured a glowing ball of green energy, which she promptly fired at the ghost-type, who floated to the left, barely dodging the attack. Haunter then moved towards its foe and allowed its long tongue to stretch out towards its opponent once more, hoping to hit Snivy with its lick attack.

"This Haunter is just too quick…" Chance muttered quietly as he watched Snivy evading successive lick attempts. "Wait a minute… Snivy, use vine whip to grab Haunter's tongue!" The redhead called out.

Snivy, unsure of her trainer's plan, jumped over another attempt of the long tongue to lick her, and upon landing she sent two vines shooting out of her neck area and wrapped them around the giant tongue.

"Good! Now that it can't get away use energy ball again!"

Snivy began to form a ball of energy in front of her once more, but this time before releasing it she gave a sharp tug on the struggling tongue, bringing Haunter plummeting towards her as she launched her assault. Haunter and the orb of energy slammed against each other several feet above Snivy, causing a small cloud of smoke to obscure Haunter.

"Great job, Snivy!" Chance praised from behind his starter pokémon, but he and Snivy were both caught off guard when a dark purple fist slammed into the Grass Snake's side, sending her rolling across the field. "Snivy! Are you okay?" He called out to her.

"Don't give any ground, Haunter. Night shade."

Before Snivy made it back to her feet, the dark beams hit her once more, driving her into the ground. Haunter didn't let up the attack and held the two beams on Snivy's back for several agonizing seconds before its trainer called for it to stop, leaving Snivy unable to battle.

"Snivy is unable to battle!" Brenna called out. "Chance will now use his final pokémon!"

"Damn. This isn't looking good for your friend." Adam whispered to his younger brother.

"Shut up. He's got this." The blonde replied, agitation at the comment evident in his voice.

"You did great." Chance muttered to Snivy as he recalled her. "Only one pokémon left. You've got this, Noctowl!"

"Not a bad choice for your final pokémon, it's typing really limits our options, but it better be strong if you want to defeat Haunter and my last pokémon." Morty said with confidence.

"Noctowl has what it takes, don'tcha buddy?" The Owl Pokémon replied with a loud cry before taking off into the air. "Noctowl, let's show him what we are made of! Use air slash!"

"Dodge and use confuse ray!" Morty commanded his pokémon.

Haunter faded to the left as a light blue blade of air rocketed past it, but before it could counterattack a second blade slammed into it, throwing it several feet backwards. Haunter slowly started to recover before it found itself unable to move. Its body was surrounded by a psychic aura that had completely immobilized it.

"Great job, Noctowl! Let's finish this up. Throw Haunter and hit it with another air slash!" Chance called out, a renewed confidence in his voice.

Haunter struggled to break free, but quickly found itself hurled towards the ground. As it neared the ground the psychic energy faded from its body, but before it could recover it was slammed with another powerful blade of air, taking it out of the match.

"Haunter is unable to battle! Leader Morty will now use his final pokémon!" Brenna called out, giving a slightly nervous look towards her mentor.

"Not bad. I see you have been saving Noctowl to counter my ghost-types. Not a bad strategy." Morty complimented. "But, as impressive as that round was, my last pokémon is much more prepared to handle this. Gengar, let's go!" He called out, summoning a more humanoid looking ghost-type. Gengar was another purple ghost, but rather than being a floating head, it had a full body with short arms and legs, though its head and body were a single mass.

"Be careful, Noctowl. Gengar is going to be his best pokémon." Chance warned the Owl Pokémon.

"Right you are. Gengar, sludge bomb!" Morty yelled out, throwing his hand out towards Noctowl as he commanded the attack.

"Use confusion to throw it right back at Gengar!"

Gengar opened its large mouth and began firing a barrage of dark purple orbs of poison that rocketed towards Noctowl, whose eyes began to glow a bright blue as each orb stopped a few short feet before him. Noctowl then shouted out, launching the barrage back at Gengar.

"Shadow ball to stop it!" Morty commanded.

Gengar conjured a dark purple and black sphere and launched it at the approaching balls of poison, causing a small explosion. Gengar then hovered up above the smoke, revealing no damage had been done.

"Damn. Noctowl, air slash!" Chance yelled out.

"Shadow ball to defend and then sludge bomb!"

The two pokémon engaged in a frantic aerial battle, trading attacks for several tense minutes. Most of Noctowl's air slashes were blocked by shadow balls, while most sludge bombs were stopped and sent back by confusion. Each pokémon was quickly tiring and allowing more and more attacks to bypass their defenses and hit their mark.

"You've got this!" Chance called out to an exhausted Noctowl, who was now struggling to maintain altitude.

"Gengar, it's time to finish this up!" Morty called to the injured ghost pokémon. "Use sludge bomb one last time!"

Gengar launched a large barrage of sludge bombs at Noctowl, with the first wave hitting their mark and causing Noctowl to fall several feet. The second barrage, however, was dissipated when Noctowl let out a loud cry as his eyes glowed a bright gold. From his opened beak shot a rainbow beam of energy that spread out more the further it got from Noctowl. The beam struck Gengar, who cried out in pain before falling to the ground.

"What was that?" Chance muttered to himself as Brenna ran over to inspect Gengar.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Noctowl and Chance win the match!" She called out.

"You and your pokémon performed admirably." Morty said to Chance after he recalled his pokémon.

"Thanks, but honestly, I am not sure how we won that. I don't know what Noctowl just did." The redhead said sheepishly as he stroked his exhausted pokémon's back.

"That would be extrasensory. It's a psychic-type move, which is why it hit Gengar so hard." The gym leader explained.

"Wow, Noctowl, you really pulled through." Chance complimented the flying-type, pulling him close into a hug, much to the Owl's delight.

"Well, give me a moment to heal up a few of my pokémon and it will be Adrian's turn to see if he can beat me." Morty said, turning to walk towards a small machine in the corner of the gym.

"Those were some close battles!" Adrian said to the redhead as he approached the two spectators. "Noctowl's normal typing really seemed to make things hard for Morty though."

"Yeah, being immune to most of his attacks really helped us come back into it." Chance said with a smile. "Too bad you won't be able to use that strategy…"

"Yeah… Even Nidorino won't be too much help here. I hope Elekid is ready for this." The blonde replied, looking down at a pokéball in his hand.

"You should be fine." Adam said from beside his younger brother. "You even got an advantage by seeing how Morty battles."

"Yeah, I hope you're right." The blonde replied nervously before taking his position at one end of the battlefield, Morty returning and doing the same.

"This will be a three-on-three battle between the Ecruteak City Gym Leader Morty and Adrian. Ready? Begin!" Brenna called out loudly.

"Gastly, let's go!" Morty called out, summoning Gastly once more.

"Tentacool, I choose you!" Adrian called out, summoning the Jellyfish Pokémon.

"Gastly, mean look then night shade!" The gym leader called out.

"Let it hit, Tentacool. Retaliate with bubble beam!" Adrian ordered the water-type.

The mean look easily hit Tentacool as it stood still, launching a barrage of bubbles at Gastly, who took the brunt of the attack as it focused on landing its own. It tried to hit back with a night shade, but Tentacool refused to let up and give it a moment to recover. However, Tentacool couldn't keep up the assault for too long, and Gastly eventually was able to return a single night shade attack that struck Tentacool, though Gastly took the worse end of the trade.

"Great job, Tentacool. Let's keep up the pressure with another bubble beam!"

"Dodge and confuse ray!"

Gastly was able to dodge the first wave of bubbles and launch a circle of yellow energy from its eyes at its opponent, however, as the confuse ray hit, a second wave of bubbles struck Gastly, sending it crashing to the gym floor.

"Gastly is unable to battle! Leader Morty will now send out his second pokémon!" Brenna called out.

"You did a fine job, Gastly. Misdreavus, you're up!" Morty called out, summoning a dark blue ghost pokémon with flowing blue hair with lilac tips. The pokémon also had a necklace of red gems around its neck.

"That one's new." Adrian muttered to himself as the small ghost-type took the field. "Careful, Tentacool. We don't know this one's strategy."

"Exactly why I chose her." Morty replied with a smile. "Misdreavus, mean look then psywave!"

"Use bubble beam!"

The mean look hit its mark, as did the bubble beam. However, Misdreavus seemed to take the attack much better than Gastly did and retaliated by launching a wave of rainbow energy that struck Tentacool, doing a large amount of damage to the poison-type.

"Don't let up! Shadow ball!" The gym leader commanded.

Tentacool launched a second barrage of bubbles while Misdreavus was summoning a dark sphere of energy, but despite the damage, Misdreavus was able to launch a shadow ball and take Tentacool out of the battle.

"Tentacool, you did a great job." Adrian complimented the Jellyfish pokémon as he recalled him. "Elekid, let's go!" He called out, summoning the baby Electric Pokémon.

"Misdreavus, end this quick. Shadow ball!" Morty commanded the Screech Pokémon.

Misdreavus conjured an orb of shadow energy once more and launched it at Elekid, who, much to his trainer's surprise, took initiative and used quick attack to dodge the incoming attack and retaliated with a thunder shock on the ghost-type.

"Good job, Elekid!" Adrian praised his pokémon. "Let's keep this up! Thunder shock again!"

"Psywave!"

The two pokémon traded a blows, Misdreavus taking another zap from Elekid's thunder shock, while Elekid was thrown back from a direct hit of psywave.

"You can do this!" Adrian called to his pokémon, who struggled to get back to his feet.

"Misdreavus, finish it with another shadow ball!" Morty called out.

Misdreavus launched another shadow ball at the baby pokémon, who was unable to stand up in time to avoid the incoming attack. Once the smoke cleared, Elekid was revealed to be motionless where the attack struck him.

"Elekid is unable to battle! Challenger Adrian will send out his final pokémon!" Brenna shouted out.

"Not bad for your first gym battle." Adrian commented to Elekid as he recalled him. "Quilava, time to bring us back in this." He said, summoning his starter.

"Ah, your Quilava looks strong. But it's too late for this match. Misdreavus, shadow ball!" Morty commanded.

"Quilava smokescreen!"

In the second it took Misdreavus to conjure her shadow ball, Quilava released a cloud of smoke to cover half the field, much to the chagrin of Misdreavus, who launched her attack at where she knew Quilava was the last time she saw him. However, after the attack impacted, Misdreavus was caught off guard as a spinning ball of fire erupted from the smoke and slammed into her, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Don't let up! Ember!" Adrian ordered the Volcano Pokémon.

Misdreavus slowly began to get back into the air, but was immediately peppered by a barrage of small fireballs from Quilava, forcing her back down. Misdreavus appeared to be defeated, but before the barrage of fire finished her off she let out an ear-piercing scream, causing Quilava to stop his attack as well as every trainer in the building to cover their ears in pain.

"What the hell was that?" Adrian wondered aloud, his ears ringing in pain.

"Misdreavus isn't called the Screech Pokémon for nothing." Morty replied, his hands also on his head from the unexpected outburst. "Misdreavus, psywave!" He called out.

A beam of psychic energy slammed into Quilava, throwing him back a few yards, but he quickly jumped in the air and rolled into another flame wheel, sending himself charging towards his foe. Misdreavus was able to dodge the attack at first, but Quilava spun around and hit her from behind, ending the battle.

"Misdreavus is unable to battle! Leader Morty will now use his final pokémon!" Brenna shouted from the sidelines.

"Not bad, kid. Gengar, let's wrap this up." Morty said, an aura of calm emanated from him as he summoned his final pokémon.

"Get ready for this, Quilava. Gengar is powerful." Adrian warned his pokémon.

"Gengar, start this off with a sludge bomb!"

"Ember to block it and flame wheel!"

The two pokémon launched their respective attacks at each other, but much to Adrian's dismay, ember was not strong enough to block the barrage of sludge bombs. The flames were able to stop several of the orbs of sludge, but Gengar's assault quickly broke through and slammed into Quilava, doing a decent amount of damage.

"Can you keep going?" Adrian asked the Volcano pokémon that rolled to a stop a few feet in front of him. Quilava nodded as he quickly got back to his feet. "Good. Let's fire back with a flame wheel!" Adrian called out loudly, throwing his hand out towards Gengar.

"Stop it with a shadow ball!"

Gengar quickly conjured and launched a shadow ball at the speeding ball of fire that was currently rolling towards it, but Quilava was able to dodge to the right and continue its approach, slamming into the ghost-type and sending it crashing across the field.

"Great job, Quilava!" Adrian cheered from behind his starter. "Keep it up! Come around and hit it again!"

Gengar was slow to recover from the direct hit, and the moment it got back to its feet it was struck by a second flame wheel, followed quickly by a third. The Shadow Pokémon was being tossed back and forth across the field as Quilava picked up speed and continued rolling about.

"You got this, Gengar!" Morty called to his now injured ace. "Fade into the ground, quick!"

Upon hearing its trainer's words, Gengar quickly sunk into the battlefield, disappearing from sight.

"What? What do we do now?" Adrian muttered to himself, his eyes darting quickly around the field for signs of the ghost-type. Quilava, equally confused, stopped his attack and stood in the center of the field, searching.

"Now, Gengar!" Morty called out, causing Gengar to emerge a few feet behind Quilava and launch a shadow ball at the fire-types back. The attack slammed into the Volcano Pokémon and rocketed him across the battlefield, leaving a trail of dust flying through the air.

"Looks like it's over…" Adam commented sadly to the redhead beside him.

"Come on, Quilava." The blonde said quietly to his pokémon, taking a knee beside the injured fire-type. "Gengar is just as exhausted as you. If you think you can keep going, we got this." As he spoke to his pokémon, Brenna ran closer to inspect the fallen pokémon and determine if he could still continue.

"Quilava is un-" She started to yell out before being cut off.

Quilava slowly stood up once more and let out a loud yell, the flames on its back erupting into an inferno like never before. Quilava turned to face his foe once more, a red aura building around his body.

"Blaze. Just like last time. Quilava really doesn't give up." Chance commented softly to Adam, whose eyes were focused on his brother.

"Alright, Quilava. Let's give it one more attack, alright?" Quilava gave a quick nod, the flames on his body growing even larger. "Flame wheel!" The blonde commanded, once more throwing his hand out towards Gengar, but to his surprise a stream of fire erupted out towards Gengar instead.

"Dodge and shadow ball, now!" Morty called out, shocked at the turn of events.

Gengar was able to dodge to the left of the fire and launch an orb of shadow energy, but the orb was quickly met with a second blast of flames that send it flying back towards the ghost-type, being pushed by the torrent of fire. The combined attacks hit their mark, causing a massive explosion. Quilava let the flames erupting from his mouth die down and stared at the spot where the attack impacted, waiting for a sign of movement. Several tense moments passed as the smoke began to clear, revealing an unmoving Gengar.

"Gengar is unable to battle." Brenna started almost sadly, before realizing her duties and picking herself back up for the remainder of her speech. "That means the victory goes to Adrian and his Quilava!" She shouted out.

"You did amazing, Quilava." The blonde whispered to his starter, whose head he was now cradling, as the pokémon quickly collapsed after the match was declared. "Take a nice long rest, alright?" He smiled at his pokémon as he recalled him.

"You fought admirably. Your Quilava has a fighting spirit that just can't be beat, and that flamethrower was very impressive." Morty said happily, offering a hand to help Adrian to his feet once more.

"Thanks. He and I train a lot." The blonde replied lamely, a broad smile crossing his face. Suddenly a hand slapped between his shoulders, startling him slightly.

"Not too shabby. You had me nervous for a moment." Adam beamed down at his younger brother.

"Nah, totally under control the entire time." Adrian replied with a light laugh.

"Nice job." Chance smiled past Adam, extending his fist, which Adrian bumped with his own.

"You too."

"You both did well, and you have both earned yourselves the Fog Badge." Morty said with a broad smile, producing two round purple badges with two smaller silver ovals, making the badge look like a ghost. "I haven't had battles like that in a long time. I am glad Blake sent you my way. I am sure he will be happy to hear how well you two performed. Ghost pokémon really are tricky to beat" The gym leader smiled once more as the two boys took their new badges.

"You can say that again…" Chance let out a soft sigh now that the frustration and nervousness of fighting such an odd type had left his body. The group shared a light laugh at this before saying their goodbyes and leaving the gym, heading straight for the pokémon center.

"You two kids really did well today, you should be proud." Adam praised the two younger trainers. "You know where you are headed next?"

"Not really…" Chance said slowly, not knowing the region as well as the other two.

"Olivine City." Adrian piped in. We want to go there next because if we head to Mahogany Town next we will have to backtrack to Olivine, but if we go to Olivine City first we can get the Cianwood City badge as well."

"Not a bad plan. Olivine is a great city. I think you two will like it."

"Not gonna come with us?" Chance asked the older boy.

"Nah. After seeing you two battle I have some training to do before meeting you guys at the Silver Conference." He replied with a grin, which wasn't shared by the younger boys. "Don't worry so much. You two will be much stronger by then if you keep on this track." As he spoke, he withdrew a pokéball and called forth his Skarmory. "Keep me updated with your progress and if you need anything, okay?" His younger brother nodded at this before getting pulled into a tight hug. "Be safe, see ya soon." Adam said as he mounted the Armor Bird Pokémon and took to the air.

"Well, your brother is certainly interesting." Chance laughed as the older trainer faded into the horizon.

"Something like that." Adrian chuckled as he turned to continue towards the pokémon center.

* * *

Several hours later, after their pokémon were healed and they had eaten, the boys were sitting with their pokémon by the pond in the northern section of Ecruteak City once more. The duo had elected to leave the following morning, giving their team the afternoon to rest after the hard fought gym battle. Dusk was now starting to fade towards night and the boys were leaned against a tree, while most of the pokémon that had been used at the gym today napped in various places nearby. The calm and quiet night air was suddenly disrupted by the sounds of a large explosion followed by a column of smoke that rose high into the air.

"What the hell was that?!" Adrian asked, scrambling to his feet, accidentally knocking the sleeping Quilava off his leg.


	24. Disaster at the Theatre!

"What the hell was that?!" Adrian asked, scrambling to his feet, accidentally knocking the sleeping Quilava off his leg.

"Not sure. Let's go." Chance responded, quickly getting to his feet and recalling the majority of his pokémon. "Noctowl, go ahead and check it out for us, okay?" The redhead asked the large Owl Pokémon. Noctowl nodded to his trainer before taking to the air and flying towards the rising pillar of smoke. Adrian followed suit, recalling his pokémon and joining his friend in running towards the source of the commotion, several more explosions ringing through the air as they ran.

The boys sprinted through the town and were quickly nearing the now large, billowing pillar of smoke that was flanked by two smaller pillars of smoke that rose into the air before combining with the larger plume. As they ran explosions continued to burst through the night air.

Noctowl soon rejoined the duo as they neared the source of the pillars of dark smoke, hooting loudly to get his trainer's attention.

"What's going on, Noctowl?" Chance yelled up to the Owl Pokémon, who responded by hooting loudly once more and veering down a road leading to the west. The boys quickly followed suit, doing their best to keep Noctowl in their sight.

Within a few minutes the boys turned a final corner and took in the chaotic scene before them. The Kimono Girl Dance Theatre, and all of the buildings that made up the compound, had erupted into a roaring inferno. Seeing this, the boys hurried down the road towards the entrance to the compound, hoping to aid whomever was still inside.

Halfway down the road that led to the front of the compound, the western wall that surrounded it exploded in a mass of debris and smoke, almost hitting Adrian, who was a few paces ahead of Chance. Adrian stumbled back to avoid the blast, quickly being caught by his companion.

The two boys looked through the hole where the section of wall once stood and found the source of the many explosions, and likely the fire that was quickly engulfing even more of the compound. Within the courtyard of the compound, a battle was being waged between the majority of the Kimono Girls against three men, clad in black clothing.

Jolteon, Umbreon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, along with their respective trainers, were currently battling against an ursaring, tyranitar, weezing, and two golbat. Behind the battle, Sakura and Espeon were working to evacuate the eevee that took refuge within the sanctuary that the sisters had created. Working alongside Sakura were Jade, Ian, and Ryan, helping to lead the eevee to safety while avoiding the battle.

"Oh my god." Adrian whispered to himself as he took in the sight before him.

"What do we do?" The redhead beside him asked.

"We have to help. Let's go." The blonde said firmly, darting through the destroyed wall while reaching for his poké balls. "Nidorino, help me out! Poison jab on that ursaring!" He called out, summoning the poison-type. Nidorino obeyed, charging up behind the Hibernator Pokémon and slamming into its back with a glowing, purple foot.

"What the hell?" One of the men yelled out, turning to see where the new combatant had come from. "We've got trouble! Looks like reinforcements are here!" He called to his two comrades.

"Oh, great. You two kids again." Spat the tallest of the three. His face was obscured by a black mask, but Chance immediately knew the voice, and it made his blood boil even more. "Looks like I get a chance to repay you for messing up my plans at the National Park."

"Not a chance." The redhead growled, reaching for a poké ball of his own.

"Wait!" Shouted Satsuki from across the courtyard. "We have this handled! Save the eevee!" The boys stared at her for a moment, not comprehending her telling them to not join the battle. "Now! Go!" She shouted more sternly, causing both of the boys to run past the battle to join with the four trainers already working to help the eevee.

"Not so fast! Weezing, sludge bomb!" The third man shouted, directing his pokémon to assault the two boys.

"Umbreon, intercept!" Tamao commanded her pokémon.

"Hammer arm, Ursaring!" The first man shouted out.

Umbreon darted across the courtyard to assist the boys in making it across safely, but much to Tamao's dismay, her pokémon was swatted out of the air by a large, glowing arm. Thankfully, Nidorino blocked the attack from striking his trainer. However, their path was still blocked by the two golbat that swooped down before them.

"Noctowl, clear a path for us! Extrasensory!" Chance shouted up to the flying-type. Noctowl emerged from the shadows and blasted one of the bats away before engaging in an aerial battle with the second.

"Chance, you go ahead. Nidorino, Noctowl and I have this." Adrian said to his friend, tossing him one of his poké balls.

"Are you sure?"

"No time to talk! Go!" The blonde yelled at his friend, causing the shorter boy to dart once more across the courtyard and into the burning compound.

He was not prepared for the sight he was greeted with. The inside of the building was in much worse shape than the outside. Flames raged through the hallway, licking at the ceiling, hoping to burst through. Sakura and her espeon currently stood at the southern end of the hallway, where the ceiling had apparently started to give in and fall. Espeon was currently using its psychic abilities to hold the ceiling in place, allowing the trainers to usher the eevee to safety.

At the other end of the hallway, Ian, Ryan, and Jade currently had several of their pokémon out in an effort to combat the flames. Croconaw, Poliwhirl, Quagsire, and Geodude were currently aiding their trainers by using their abilities to slow down the spreading flames, however futile their efforts seemed.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?!" Jade shouted to the redhead as she ran past, two eevee in her arms.

"On it!" He responded, tossing the poké ball that Adrian loaned him, as well as Staryu's lure ball. Beside his Staryu stood Quilava, causing Chance to smile at his friend's quick thinking. "Alright, Staryu, help the other water pokémon with your water gun. Try and stop these flames, alright? Quilava, you're with me, let's go!" He shouted to the two pokémon, causing them both to jump into action. Staryu joined the three other water-types at the northern end of the hallway, firing a powerful gush of water into the flaming room at that end. Chance and Quilava ran past the four pokémon just as Ian ran past towards the exit, another eevee in his arms.

"Here, take these two." Ryan commanded the newcomer, ushering two eevee into his arms.

"Got it. Quilava, help Ryan and Geodude look for others." He ordered the fire-type, taking the two Evolution Pokémon from the other boy. As he got to the hallway that led to the exit, Jade met him and reached for the two pokémon in his arms.

"I've got them. You have a fire-type with you, so you keep searching." The raven-haired girl took the two injured pokémon and ran for the exit, passing Sakura, who ran to meet up with the two boys and their pokémon.

"We are missing three more." She said, the urgency in her voice rising as she saw how much further the flames had advanced. "The new one with the hurt leg, and the two that keep to themselves. We have to find them!" She shouted over the roar of the inferno surrounding them. As she relayed the information, a loud crack resonated from behind her. Alarmed, the trio looked towards the far end of the hallway where Espeon had fallen to its knees, while the ceiling sank closer to the ground as more support beams gave way.

"Espeon won't hold up much longer." Ryan shouted to Sakura before a coughing fit caused him to double over.

"He has inhaled too much smoke!" Sakura cried out, ducking lower to avoid the same fate. Quilava and Geodude appeared in this moment, an eevee with a bandaged back leg in the rock-types arms.

"Get him and the eevee out of here." Chance ordered the older girl. "And here. Take my onix to hold up the roof. Espeon is at its limit." Sakura locked eyes with him for a moment, wanting to protest, but quickly grabbed the ball from his hand and ushered Ryan and his Geodude out with her. "Quilava, we have two more to find. Let's go!" He said as the two ran out the far exit of the room.

The next room was in a much worse state. Flames had caused many of the support beams to collapse and flaming debris rained from the ceiling. Quilava, who had already made his way through this room once, led the redhead through behind him. Between the dense smoke, flames, and piles of debris that littered the floor, progress was slow. The heat and smoke was quickly taking its toll on Chance, but he kept on Quilava's heels.

Quilava quickly made his way into the next room. As the two entered, a section of the ceiling collapsed off to their right, causing Chance to jump back.

"See anything?" He asked the fire-type, now relying completely on his friend's pokémon to see.

"Quil!" The pokémon shouted out before launching a swift attack at a pile of debris that was off to his left, causing a small explosion, but clearing a path.

The Volcano Pokémon made his way through the burning room, occasionally stopping to listen for a second. Every time he stopped he would then nod and increase his speed towards a certain direction. Seconds felt like hours to the trainer behind him. Chance's lungs were burning from the smoke, and he felt like the heat would cause him to collapse at any moment. Just as he was about to tell Quilava that they had to get out of there, he heard a whimper from up ahead. Through the smoke he could barely make out the silhouettes of two pokémon curled up in the corner a few feet ahead of them. Quilava ran the last few steps towards the two and turned to the trainer behind him.

"Qui quil! Lava!" He barked out to the human, motioning towards the two forms. Chance kneeled down once he got to them and immediately noticed that the smaller of the two was lying motionless beside its friend.

"Don't worry, I've got you." He said to the two pokémon as he reached out and scooped the weakened pokémon into his arms. As he rose back to his feet, the entire center of the room collapsed, allowing a large burst of air to enter the room, which caused the fire around them to erupt into an even larger blaze.

"Shit!" The redhead cursed. "Quilava, is there another way out?" He asked the fire-type, who shook his head and backed up towards the trainer's leg. "We can't make it around this. We don't have enough time…" Chance whispered to himself, panic starting to set in. "I can't let these eevee and Quilava get hurt… What the hell do I do?" He asked himself before getting an idea.

"Scyther, help me out!" He shouted, summoning the Mantis Pokémon. Scyther emerged from his poké ball and immediately started coughing from the thick smoke and backed into the corner to try and avoid the flames that surrounded them. "Scyther, I need you to cut through this wall. Please. It's our only hope." He pleaded to the terrified pokémon, slowly sinking to his knees as the environment started to weaken his body further.

Scyther stared at his trainer for a moment, fighting his own limbs to even move. The flames slowly crept towards them and Scyther's eyes focused on the hole in the ceiling. His wings extended and he started to beat them in the hopes of taking off towards safety, but his eyes fell back towards his trainer who was kneeling on the floor with two unconscious pokémon in his arms. Scyther's eyes then hardened as its scythes began to glow a bright red. The mantis turned to the wall behind him and began to slash wildly at the thick wood, sending shards flying around it. Quilava slowly tried to prop up the coughing human beside him. With one more glance back at his weakened trainer, Scyther made a final strike against the wall, sending a large section of it falling out and onto the ground. Smoke billowed past the bug-type as he hopped through the hole and turned to look at his companions inside. With the help of the Volcano pokémon, Scyther aided his trainer in climbing out of the hole and to the relative safety of the outside.

"Th-Thank you." Chance coughed out to the two pokémon before him. He knelt on the grass for a moment, listening to the crackling flames and the echoing explosions from the other side of the building, only slightly muted by his own coughing.

Suddenly, he heard a low growl behind him, from within the flames. From across the burning room, within the largest fire, two glowing red eyes stared back at the young trainer. The eyes began to glow brighter as a loud roar erupted from the building, causing Chance to stumble backwards away from the creature, while Scyther and Quilava took defensive stances between the strange being and the boy behind them. The creature's cry was quickly met with two other cries from much further away. The second set or roars caused Chance and the pokémon to turn away for a moment, expecting to see more creatures, but being met only with the outer wall of the compound. When the group turned back to the first creature, only the inferno remained. The mysterious eyes had vanished.

The moment of confusion was met with another surprise, as a slow pattering of rain began to fall from the once clear sky. Chance stared up past the smoke at the darkened sky, lost in his confusion. He was quickly brought back to reality as another explosion rang out through the city.

"Come on. We have to help Adrian!" He said to the two pokémon beside him, stumbling to his feet with the two unconscious eevee.

The redheaded trainer ran around the corner of the fielding, allowing him to see how the battle in the courtyard was progressing. To the dismay of himself and the two pokémon behind him, the poachers had seemed to have taken the upper hand. All but Jolteon and Umbreon had left the battle on the side of the Kimono Girls, while only one golbat had been recalled on the opposite side, though Ursaring and the second golbat both looked ready to drop soon.

As for Adrian and his pokémon, a shaky Nidorino stood before him, ready to collapse, while Noctowl lay unconscious in the blonde's arms. By now Sakura had sent Staryu and Onix to join the battle, and Chance watched in horror as Tyranitar slammed a glowing fist into Onix's face, sending the massive pokémon flying through the air and crashing into one of the outer walls, causing it to collapse on him.

"Quilava, Scyther… Go." The redhead whispered to the pokémon standing behind him. Both pokémon nodded and charged towards Ursaring, the nearest opponent.

Quilava release a barrage of embers at the Hibernator pokémon, who turned his head towards the charging pokémon and released a deafening roar as he began sprinting towards the two new foes, his left hand starting to glow a bright white. Ursaring took a swipe at Scyther, who dodged to the right of the flailing arm. Quilava, however, was struck and sent rolling backwards from the powerful attack.

"Quilava!" The redhead shouted out to his friend's pokémon, running over with the two eevee still cradled in his arms. "You okay, buddy?" He questioned the injured and exhausted fire-type.

"Quil!" The starter pokémon responded, quickly getting back to his feet. Quilava then charged toward the foe, who was now engaged in a dance of blows with Scyther. Scyther's glowing scythes traded blows with the normal-types glowing arms, both showing major signs of fatigue.

"Quilava, quick attack and then ember, okay?" Chance shouted out. Quilava disappeared in a blur of speed, only to reappear behind Ursaring to slam in between the large pokémon's shoulder blades, sending it off balance. Ursaring was then peppered with a barrage of embers before a glowing scythe slashed across his exposed chest.

"You damn brat!" One of the poachers, presumably Ursaring's trainer, shouted at Chance as the two pokémon took a defensive position between him and Ursaring. "Don't let them get away with this! Hyper beam, now!" He demanded his exhausted pokémon.

"Riiiing!" Ursaring yelled out as a glowing orb began to form in his maw. A yellow beam then blasted out straight for Chance, but was intercepted by both Scyther and Quilava, who jumped in the way to shield the trainer from the attack. However, the blast sent both pokémon crashing into the redheaded trainer. The large pokémon immediately began to form a second blast, ready to eliminate its opponents.

"Scyther… You've gotta get up. Please." The redhead coughed out weakly to the bug-type that now lay on the opposite side of him. He curled the two limp eevee closer to his chest and glanced down at Quilava, who laid unmoving across the trainer's legs. In that moment, he knew he could do nothing more to protect himself or his pokémon.

Chance turned his head towards Ursaring as the second hyper beam fired towards them. His vision was lost in a bright flash of light, which he assumed was the attack striking him, but after a few moments his vision returned to reveal a scorched ground before him and a large yellow pokémon that had intercepted the attack. As Chance's eyes focused more he could clearly see black stripes adorning the body and legs of the pokémon, as well as a long, purple mane flowing across its back.

"What pokémon is that?" He mumbled weakly, pulling out his pokédex to get more information on the strange creature.

" _Raikou, the Thunder Pokémon. The rain clouds it carries let it fire thunderbolts at will. They say that it descended with lightning."_ The pokédex read out, as the legendary beast let out a low growl at Ursaring, who now looked ready to collapse from exhaustion.

"Raikou…" The redhead whispered, watching the beast release a torrent of electricity at the normal-type, sending it sliding across the ground past its trainer.

"What the hell?!" The man roared, recalling his defeated pokémon. "What is going on here?" He turned to his two comrades, only to find them in about the same situation. While only Jolteon still stood ready to battle, Weezing and Golbat had both been defeated by the appearance of another strange pokémon, this one a light blue with white dots adorning its lower body, the same purple mane flowing across its back as Raikou. The pokémon stood a mere feet in front of Adrian, shielding the boy from any incoming attacks.

"Tyranitar!" The lead poacher barked. "Finish these damn kids off with a hyper beam at that blue one!" His arm waved angrily in the air, pointing at the second new pokémon. Tyranitar started to conjure an attack, but was quickly met with a blast of highly pressurized water that sent the massive pokémon twisting through the air, almost landing on its belligerent trainer.

The blue pokémon let out a deafening roar, causing the slowly falling rain to turn into a downpour of water. The flames that still worked to engulf the remainder of the building quickly began to flicker and become smaller, while the ground began to soften as the water soaked the earth. The sirens that could be heard in the distance slowly started to increase in volume as the authorities neared the battle.

"This is over. We have to get out of here!" The third, smallest poacher said to his two friends, worry evident in his voice.

"Fine." The leader grumbled, recalling his fallen tyranitar. The three turned to flee, but were met with a blast of ice across their feet, holding them in place. They turned with horror in their eyes to see the blue pokémon now standing just feet from them, anger burning in its eyes. The pokémon let out one final deafening roar before jumping to the top of the now smoldering buildings, glancing once at the blonde trainer who couldn't take his eyes off it, and then disappearing into the falling rain.

"You will go nowhere!" Satsuki said in a stern voice as she approached the three, her exhausted Jolteon at her side. "If any of you even try to move I will have Jolteon take you down." The anger in her eyes was enough to get the three poacher to stop struggling against their icy prison. Satsuki glanced back over her shoulder for a moment to see her sisters gathering the injured and defeated pokémon, both their own and those of the young trainers that had assisted them. To the oldest Kimono Girl's surprise, Raikou still stood in the courtyard, standing over a now unconscious Chance. The large pokémon lowered its head and sniffed the injured trainer once, then touched its nose to his forehead and leapt into the air, disappearing much like the blue beast before it. "Thank you." Satsuki smiled at the spot where Raikou once stood.

* * *

Adrian found himself waking up to a far too bright beam of sunlight sneaking through the mostly closed curtains of the strange room he was in. He closed his eyes to try and hide his aching headache from the bright assault. It took him several long moments before the memories of the previous battle made their way to his mind once more. He remembered an explosion caused by a stray attack from Tyranitar launching him backwards into the wall of the building that he worked so hard to protect. He also remembered a shining blue pokémon creating a barrier to stop him from the second attack, and then only fragments of memories. The blue pokémon easily defeating the foes that had crushed his own pokémon. The loud roar that brought a torrent of rain. The mysterious pokémon leaping high into the air and vanishing form his sight. The entire confrontation left him with an odd feeling.

Then, another thought crossed his mind. Chance. Where was he? Where were his pokémon? Did Chance and Quilava make it through everything?

The blonde quickly sat up, which he immediately regretted as his entire body throbbed from a wave of pain. Despite the protest from his body, he looked around the room and was relieved to see his redheaded companion sleeping peacefully in a bed across the room, far from the offending window. He also noticed the majority of their pokémon were sleeping in various places around the room. Nidorino, Elekid, and Quilava slept peacefully on cushions near his bed, though Quilava had a bandage wrapped around his front leg. Snivy was curled up in the middle of her trainer's chest, while Noctowl stood near the closed door, dutifully keeping watch over the recovering trainers and pokémon. Adrian gave a slight nod to the Owl pokémon before laying down once more, allowing a shallow sleep to overtake him.

It felt like minutes later to the blonde trainer, but truly it was hours, when the door slowly cracked open. His eyes fluttered open to see Sumomo and Tamao enter the room. The women noticed his stirring and quietly made their way across the room to his bed, doing their best to avoid waking Chance in the closer bed.

"How are you feeling?" Sumomo questioned in a near whisper, resting her hand on Adrian's.

"Sore." He croaked out. "What about you guys? Is everyone okay?"

"Sakura and Kimiko both have minor burns, but nothing serious. Everyone else made it out okay. Including the eevee." Tamao replied with a small smile.

"I'm glad." He then turned towards his still sleeping companion. "And him?"

"He will be just fine." Sumomo replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "He was lucky enough to avoid any serious injury from charging into that fire, and a miracle saved him from getting hurt once he joined us outside."

"A miracle?"

"Yes." Sumomo smiled. "The legendary beasts appeared to save us in our hour of need. Raikou protected Chance, while Suicune protected you."

"Suicune… I remember. It stopped Tyranitar's attack from hitting me."

"Then it put out the fire." Tamao finished, earning a smile from the blonde.

As they spoke they heard a stirring across the room. Chance slowly opened his eyes and rolled over to face the trio across the room, much to the delight of Snivy, who happily hugged her trainer.

"How are you feeling?" Sumomo asked the redhead, moving quickly across the room to check on him.

"Like I got run over by a rhyhorn." He laughed. "How are the pokémon?"

The two women shared a smile with each other. "They are just fine." Replied Tamao. "Onix, Staryu, and Tentacool are resting elsewhere so they could be more comfortable. Scyther, however, was much more difficult. He is resting in his pokéball." As she spoke she produced the pokéball from one of her pockets, handing it to the redhead.

"Yeah, sounds like him." He chuckled. "And the eevee?"

"Are just fine." Replied a voice as the door opened once more. Satsuki entered the room this time, two eevee in tow. "Every eevee is accounted for and no major injuries were sustained, thanks to you." She now stood at the foot of Chance's bed.

"It was nothing… Really. I just did what anyone would do." He replied with a blush.

"Well, to be honest, we would like to request one more favor of you. Both of you." Satsuki replied.

"A favor? What kind of favor?" Asked Adrian.

"Well, our entire compound burned to the ground, so we are forced to stay in just this single house right now…" Started Sumomo.

"And it can hardly fit just us, really." Tamao continued.

"Right, so we are looking to rehome several of the eevee that we take care of, to make sure that they are getting as much care and room as they need." Satsuki finished, bending down to pick up the two eevee that accompanied her. "Jade and her friends each have agreed to help us take care of some of the eevee, but we still have a handful that we have to rehome if we want to get down to a more manageable amount until our compound is rebuilt. So, we wanted to ask you two to take care of the two eevee that you rescued from the fire." The boys shared a look with each other, both showing a bit of shock at this opportunity, as eevee were rather rare. "You see, these two stick together. We can't send them with different trainers, as that would not make them happy. But, they trust you and if you two would be willing…"

"We would love to!" Chance blurted out.

"It would be an honor." Adrian agreed.

"I'm glad." Satsuki gave the boys the first real smile they had seen from her. Tamao then took one of the eevee from her arms, before setting it at the foot of the blonde's bed. Satsuki did the same at Chance's bed. "Chance, this one can be a bit of a handful at times. He is stubborn and protective, but his spirit makes him very strong."

"And Adrian, this little lady is a bit timid, but she learns fast and she is full of energy when she warms up to you." Tamao explained with a smile. The two eevee looked across the room at each other before making their way up the respective beds to see their potential new trainers.

"Hey Eevee." Adrian greeted, reaching his hand out to pet the Evolution pokémon. She flinched for a moment, but then took another step forward to smell the offered hand. The eevee across the room stood in the middle of the bed he was on, watching the entire exchange. He didn't move forward until his friend allowed Adrian to stroke the fur on her cheek. Once he saw that his companion was happy, he stepped forward to the redhead.

"Well, you really are protective." Chance said with a smile after watching the exchange. "But don't worry. You two are part of the team now. We will all protect her with you. We will protect both of you. And, if you'd like, I can help train you so you become even stronger." Eevee quick nod to this, his eyes alight with the prospect of getting stronger.

"I think you both will make great teams." Satsuki said with a nod, now sure of the choice she had made.

The two boys shared another smile with each other, both happy at the prospect of training and growing with their new team members.

* * *

 **A.N.: I apologize for the huge delay in uploading. To be honest, it was a confidence issue. Just after the last chapter I posted a single person messaged me telling me how bad my writing was, and unfortunately, I let it get to me. I know I shouldn't have, as I am largely doing this as a way to strengthen my writing, but I am back now. Thanks to the encouragement from a friend I am going to be trying to step back into the whole writing thing. Again, I am sorry for the delay. I hope to hear from people, whether you enjoyed it or constructive criticism. Feel free to pm me or leave a review. Thanks for you time, I hope you all enjoy reading this.**


	25. An Electrifying Rivalry is Born!

Two days after the battle at the Kimono Girl's theatre, Chance and Adrian finally departed from Ecruteak City to continue their adventure towards Olivine City. Both trainers offered to stay and aid the Kimono Girls in the rebuilding of their home, but they insisted that the boys continue towards their next gym battle if they wanted to complete their journey in time to compete in this year's Silver Conference. The duo relented and continued onward, venturing onto Route 38 in the early morning.

The first half of their day was largely uneventful. The trainers, and Snivy, resting across her trainer's shoulders, enjoyed being out in the open world again. The vast fields of Route 38 were dotted with wild pokémon, many of which paid no mind to the passing group. Around midday, the boys decided it would be a good time to stop for lunch and some light training. The duo found one of the larger hills in the area that overlooked a herd of tauros and miltank that casually grazed on the long grass in the valley between two hills.

"Okay, come on out, guys!" Adrian called, tossing four poké balls and a fast ball high into the air, calling forth his entire team. Nidorino stretched and let out a low groan, pleased with being out of the confines of his pokéball once more. Tentacool and Elekid both followed suit, stretching and then running to their trainer, glad to be able to run free for the time being. Quilava, on the other hand, paid more attention to Eevee than himself. He quickly trotted over to the small Evolution Pokémon to check on her wellbeing, much to the delight of his trainer. Eevee, on her part, stood very close to the side of the Volcano Pokémon and looked around for the group's other eevee.

"You guys come on out too!" Chance said with a grin, mimicking his friend and throwing three poké balls, a lure ball, and a friend ball into the air. Onix appeared first, stretching his long body to its full height and letting out a bellowing cry, much to the annoyance of the wild pokémon in the area. Staryu did a quick circle around the Rock Snake Pokémon, spinning happily through the air. Noctowl immediately took the chance to spread his wings and take to the skies, hovering a few feet above his largest teammate's head. Scyther and Eevee both immediately closed the distance between their team and the friendly team beside them. Scyther meeting up with Elekid, while Eevee ran to his female companion and checked her head to toe to make sure she was doing okay. Snivy took the chance to hop off her trainer's shoulders and casually walk over to Onix, whom she immediately climbed to sit on the rock-type's head.

"Well, looks like our teams really are becoming quite the little family." The blonde laughed as the two parties mingled.

"They sure are." The redhead replied with a smile. "I just hope Scyther opens up to his teammates as much as he has to Elekid…"

"Give it time. I mean, my eevee has already bonded with Quilava, which I didn't expect at all with how shy she is towards everyone else."

"Yeah. I think it makes my eevee a bit jealous, honestly." The boys shared a laugh at this. "But bonding with Quilava makes sense, he was the one that ran into the fire to save her."

The two trainers allowed their pokémon to relax and play while they prepared their lunch. Adrian cooked for the two trainers, while Chance, who was much less proficient at cooking, set up meals for the eleven pokémon that now accompanied them, though Onix burrowed deep into the ground to locate large boulders for his own meal.

The boys and their pokémon spent the next hour and a half eating and doing some light training, where the blonde struggled to understand why Quilava was unable to reproduce the flamethrower that he had used during their gym battle. During their training, Adrian watched as his redheaded friend's eyes continued to drift over to the herd of tauros that continued to graze down in the valley. Eventually, this distraction led the redhead to end his training session early, recalling his now full team of pokémon.

"What's up?" Adrian questioned, signaling Quilava and Nidorino to end their sparring match.

"I kinda want one." Chance replied, his eyes not leaving the herd below.

"What makes you want one? You already have six pokémon." The blonde questioned his friend.

"To be honest, they remind me of home. We have a pokémon back in Unova that looks a lot like them, but a bit bulkier." Chance explained. "They are super powerful, too." He said with a grin.

"Well… If you insist, let's go." Adrian relented, recalling all but Quilava.

The pair and their starter pokémon quickly made their way down into the grassy valley below, doing their best not to alert the large herd to their presence yet. It didn't take long before the group was close enough for them to get a better look at the Wild Bull Pokémon that grazed before them.

"Any idea which one you want?" The blonde asked quietly, his eyes tracing over the edge of the herd.

"Ideally one of them that is more isolated. I don't want all of them charging us at once…" Chance replied, crouching a bit lower into the tall grass when the ears on some of the nearby tauros started to twitch.

Over the next few minutes the two trainers slowly moved to the far left of the herd, finding a single tauros that had split off a bit that was now grazing on its own. The tauros looked a little smaller and younger than the rest of the herd, making it likely an easier capture for the redheaded trainer.

"Okay, let's do this." Chance whispered, grabbing a poké ball from the pouch on his hoodie. "Noctowl, come on out." He threw the poké ball high into the air, releasing the Owl Pokémon, who cried out happily as he stretched his wings. "Noctowl, try and force it away from the herd more with air slash." He called out.

The tips of Noctowl's wings glowed a light blue and then he swiped them both down towards the unsuspecting Wild Bull, launching two blades of compressed air at the pokémon. Both blades missed their bull, striking the ground between it and the herd, spooking it and causing it to move several more yards away from the herd.

"Good job! Now hit it with another air slash!" Chance called up to his pokémon.

Noctowl did a quick loop and began to fly towards the tauros, who was now stomping his hoof into the ground and preparing to charge. Noctowl then stopped its approach and started to charge up and air slash, but before he was able to launch his attack, he was struck with a random bolt of electricity that had suddenly emerged from further up the hill. The blast of electricity was enough to prevent Noctowl from launching his attack and sent him descending towards the ground.

"Noctowl!" Chance yelled out as his pokémon fell towards the ground. "Snivy, use vine whip to catch him!" The redhead said to his starter pokémon, extending his right arm and pointing towards his injured Noctowl.

The Grass Snake bolted across her trainer's outstretched arm and leapt through the air, launching her vines as she sailed to a soft landing in the grass. Luckily, her vines were quick enough to grab on to Noctowl several feet before he smacked into the hard ground below, though now the wild tauros was charging Snivy.

"Quilava, use flame wh-" Adrian started but was cut off by a second zap landing in front of the tauros, instantly making it recoil and turn away from the earlier offenders.

The second zap was enough to get the two trainers to look up at the source of the attack. They were shocked to see a pink, fluffy pokémon riding atop a pidgeotto that was now descending towards the trainers. Behind them, running down the hill, was a woman with long, curly brown hair, who was shaking her arms at the two boys.

"Hey! You two poachers leave my tauros alone!" She yelled at them, still waving her arms. Her two pokémon descended to the ground before her, with the rider jumping off and landing several feet in front of the tauros. The pokémon was only about 2 and a half feet tall, but the sparks it was emitting in anger were enough to get the two boys to take a step back.

"Her tauros?" Adrian questioned his companion while grabbing a poké ball from his belt, just in case. The girl finally got to the bottom of the hill and stood behind her pokémon, pidgeotto circling overhead.

"What do you two rustlers think you're doing attacking my pokémon?" The brunette asked angrily. She pointed at them angrily with one hand while the other found a resting spot on her denim covered hip.

"We didn't think they belonged to anyone. Honest!" Chance stuttered out, waving his hands in front of him defensively. Snivy took this time to pull her vines back in, bringing a panting Noctowl to rest in the grass next to her trainer.

"A likely story!" The woman snarled. "Flaaffy!" She called to the pink pokémon, whose angry sparks intensified upon hearing its name.

"He is telling the truth! I promise!" Adrian said, stepping between the two other trainers. "We were just having lunch up on the hill behind us and we were watching them… My friend thought they looked so cool and strong that he thought he would try and catch one. But we swear we thought they were wild!"

"Ha! Everyone 'round these parts knows that the tauros in this valley belong to my family's ranch!" She spat angrily.

"Well we aren't from these parts." Chance replied angrily, stepping forward and reaching into his hoodie for another poké ball. Adrian, noticing this, put a hand up to stop the angry redhead.

"Look. We are trainers that are just passing through here on our way to Olivine City." The blonde explained, pulling out his pokédex for emphasis. "We honestly had no idea that this area was anyone's property. It's not like there was a fence or signs or anything. It was honestly just a misunderstanding and we apologize."

"Well…" The girl's face contorted slightly as she thought about what the boy was saying. "Fine. You're off the hook for now. But I had better not catch you coming after one of my pokémon again!" She addressed the latter part Chance, who she shot a glare at, much to the boy's annoyance.

"We didn't know…" Chance grumbled in reply. He then recalled Noctowl once he made sure the Owl Pokémon would be okay.

"Hmph." She grunted. "Well, if you didn't know that this area was all my property then I guess I may as well help you two get to where you need to go." She turned to head back up the hill that she had just recently descended, motioning to both boys to follow her.

"Thanks, we appreciate it." Adrian said once they caught up. "I am Adrian, by the way. This is my friend Chance." He explained, motioning to his friend who followed a few paces behind.

"Lillian." She responded with a nod. "And this the Burkett Ranch." She motioned with both arms to the surrounding land once they had reached the top of the hill. From the summit they could see a small cluster of buildings to the south that assumedly made up the family residence.

"Whoa… That is a lot of land…" Adrian said with a gasp.

"The largest ranch in the area." Lillian beamed proudly. "And the second highest grossing, after the MooMoo Ranch." She said with a smirk.

"That is really impressive." The blonde responded. "So all of the pokémon out here are yours? How do you keep them from just wandering off?"

"The pokémon here are protected and well taken care of. They aren't likely to wander off to where they have to worry about poachers or anything else like that. They like being safe and secure." Lillian explained with a smile.

"That makes sense…" Adrian replied, somewhat lost in thought. "So, what do you do with all of the pokémon then? If the MooMoo Ranch corners the market for milk then it must be hard to find a use for all of these pokémon." He gestured towards the different pens that were closer to the buildings, each pen housing different pokémon that were being raised.

"Actually, most of the pokémon we are raising right now will be sold to other farms. Tauros especially are used for labor in many of the ranches around these parts." She explained as they trudged down the hill, Chance lagging a bit behind. "But we do have a decent amount of tauros that we use to help till our fields. We also have a flock of mareep that are used for their wool. That is actually where Flaaffy is from." She smiled as her hand stroked the top of her pokémon's head.

"That is really cool. I don't think I have ever seen a place that is so integrated with their pokémon." The blonde said with a smile.

"It really is nice." Lillian replied with a big smile. "Now I just have to get my little Flaaffy to evolve so she can help take over for my pa's ampharos. We use him to help charge up the generators that run this whole place, but we would really like for him to retire and not have to use so much energy each morning and evening." As she explained this they approached a little blue house that sat on the edge of the cluster of buildings.

"What have you been doing to try and help her evolve?" The blonde asked as they stepped past the building.

"Honestly, not too much." The brunette replied with a small blush. "See, she doesn't get to battle all that much. Nobody really crosses the boundaries of our ranch that often. Aside from that, my pa's pokémon can't risk getting hurt because they all have jobs to do, so the only chance she gets to battle is when some of the other ranch kids and I get together and do a bit of sparring with our pokémon."

"Well, if you'd like, in return for you getting us back on the right track to Olivine City and being so forgiving towards us, we could have some practice matches with you and Flaaffy to try and get her some more battling experience." Adrian offered, noticing a small smile break across his companion's face for the first time since they had encountered Lillian.

"Hm…" She thought for a second. "I wouldn't mind smacking around your friend over here a bit more, and it would be rude to turn down your help, so we are in." She replied with a big grin, much to Chance's annoyance.

"I really don't think sneak attacks count." The redhead replied, bitterness heavily lacing his voice. This was met by a smirk from Lillian, who continued to lead them through the ranch.

It didn't take long for them to reach the outskirts of the ranch, where they were led to a dirt path that continued further south.

"This would lead you right to Olivine City!" She beamed. "But first, who wants to take on me and Flaaffy first?" Flaaffy gave a small cry and flexed beside her trainer.

"Some revenge for that sneak attack earlier sounds nice." Chance mumble, taking a step forward before Adrian put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"I'll start us off." The blonde smiled, pulling a poké ball from his belt. "Don't worry, you will get your shot, hothead." He commented to his companion with a smile, which was met by rolling eyes.

"Well whoever is first, let's get this started!" Lillian trotted to the side of the road and a small distance away, providing a small battlefield for the challenge.

"Alright, let's see what you can do. Come on out, Eevee!" Adrian called, tossing out the fast ball. The Evolution Pokémon looked around her and immediately started to panic when she noticed neither Quilava nor Chance's Eevee were present. She quickly ran to her trainer and snuggled into his legs.

"Eevee…" He said softly, kneeling down next to her. "You're alright. It's just a friendly battle, but if you don't want to battle you don't have to." He reassured her. She continued to press her body into his legs. "Alright, how about you just watch this time, okay?" He said to her with a smile, which got a small nod from the frightened pokémon.

"Hey Eevee, come on out and watch with us." Chance said softly, releasing his own Eevee to stand by his feet. Adrian's Eevee quickly ran over to snuggle into her fellow Evolution Pokémon and watch the battle unfold.

"That was certainly interesting…" Lillian said with a bit of confusion.

"Don't worry, we are ready for real this time." Adrian said with a grin. "Come on out, Elekid!" He called, summoning the Electric Pokémon.

"Okay, let's get started then!" The brunette called. "Flaaffy, start us off with take down!"

"Elekid, slow it down with swift!" Adrian called to the baby pokémon.

Flaaffy charged forward, lowering her head to slam into the smaller electric-type, but she was forced to charge through a barrage of white stars that Elekid was launching at her. However, the Wool Pokémon didn't slow down much as she continued to barrel forward, slamming into Elekid and sending him rolling across the grass.

"You okay?" The blonde asked his pokémon, who slowly got back to his feet.

"Ele le le!" The small electric-type called out, twirling his arms in frustration.

"Good. Let's do this! Try a quick attack!" Adrian called, throwing his right arm out towards their foe.

"Not so fast! Flaaffy, release a discharge all around you!" Lillian commanded the Wool Pokémon as Elekid disappeared in a blur of motion.

"Flaaaaa" The pink pokémon roared as blue electricity shot out wildly from its body. One of these bolts was struck Elekid, who had approached the larger pokémon from behind. The first tendril of electricity staggered the smaller pokémon, but once it was dazed Flaaffy directed the assault to focus on its opponent. The assault didn't last long before Flaaffy allowed the attack to dissipate, leaving a slightly smoking Elekid on the ground. This was immediately followed up by Flaaffy's tail glowing a metallic gray and being slammed repeatedly into Elekid's back.

"Looks like Elekid is unable to –" Chance was cut off from declaring the battle in Lillian's favor when Elekid slowly began to rise once more. "Whoa. Elekid really is getting to be a gutsy little guy… You guys want to continue?" The redhead asked, turning to Adrian, who responded with a nod after making eye contact with Elekid. "Okay. Battle resume!"

"Elekid try thunder shock!" Chance called to his weakened pokémon. Elekid spun its arms like windmills and released a single stream of electricity towards Flaaffy, but the larger electric-type just stood and took the attack, allowing the electricity to freely flow into its body. Elekid was only able to keep up the attack for a few seconds before it dissipated and he wobbled a few times, eventually falling forward into the grass once more.

"Elekid is unable to battle! Flaaffy and Lillian are the victors!" Chance declared from the sidelines, already moving towards Elekid as he spoke, both eevee at his feet.

"Hey buddy." Adrian said as he scooped up the baby pokémon. "How ya feeling?" Elekid smiled weakly up at his trainer. "You did great bud. You are really improving, and you've definitely shown that you've got a lot of guts with this battle. I am very proud of you." Elekid's smile grew as his trainer praised him, and the smile remained as he slipped into unconsciousness in his trainer's arms, before being recalled to rest.

"That was certainly something…" Lillian said from across the field. "I didn't expect the little guy to be so spunky, but in the end he wasn't enough to get Flaaffy to evolve." Her remark made Chance bite his lip to keep from saying something before he could really think about it.

"You want a challenge? Fine, I will give you a challenge." Chance said, departing from his blonde companion to make room between him and his opponent. Once Adrian had moved to the side of the field to referee, Chance withdrew a poké ball and held it before him. "Noctowl is looking for a rematch after that sneak attack earlier. Let's go Noctowl!" Chance started to throw the ball into the air, but found his hand, and the poké ball, wrapped in vines from his shoulder.

"Snivy!" The Grass Snake barked from her trainer's shoulder. "Snivy sni!" Her voice sounded stern as she wagged her small arms at her trainer.

"You want this battle, don't you?" Chance asked his starter pokémon. Snivy gave a quick nod and loosened her grip on both her trainer's hand and Noctowl's poké ball. She then flipped off her shoulder perch and landed gracefully several feet before her trainer. She glanced over her shoulder at the redhead behind her as she confidently marched to the center of the field.

"Well, what a spirited little pokémon." Lillian said with a smirk. "Gonna let your pokémon decide that it is the one fighting me? Better put up a bit more of a fight than your friend did."

"I believe in Snivy. If she wants to battle then I trust her." Chance and Snivy locked eyes for a moment when he said this, and a large smile spread across his face, while a warmth in his chest seemed to grow. "Ready, partner?" He asked the small pokémon. In response she got into a battle stance and glared at her new foe.

"Alright! Flaaffy, show this little thing that it shouldn't underestimate you! Take down!" Lillian ordered the Wool Pokémon.

"Leaf tornado!"

Flaaffy tucked its head down and charged towards the Grass Snake, who retaliated by twirling her body and releasing a vortex of razor sharp leaves that slammed into Flaaffy. The Wool Pokémon continued to force its way through, closing its eyes and enduring the assault as it surged forward. However, where it thought it would connect with Snivy, there was nothing. Flaaffy opened its eyes to see nothing standing in front of it, however, the confusion was short lived as a green ball of energy slammed into it from above. Snivy then gave a three point landing, smirking at the Flaaffy that had been slammed into the dirt.

"So the little thing is a jumper, eh? Gotta admit I ain't never seen a grass pokémon use its vines to jump like that before, but you ain't won yet." Lillian's smirk didn't waver as her pokémon stood up and dusted itself off. "Thunderbolt, now!"

Before Snivy could react, she was struck by a powerful bolt of electricity that surged through her body. She was forced to her knee as the unrelenting attack continued to coarse through her. The moment the assault ended, she started to get back to her feet, but was met immediately by Flaaffy's glowing tail slamming into her chest, sending her sprawling across the grass.

"Snivy!" Chance called out, taking a step forward instinctively.

"Sniv…" The grass-type groaned quietly as she slowly stood to her feet.

"You've got this, Snivy!" She heard her trainer call to her.

"Finish this up, Flaaffy! Thunderbolt once more!" Lillian ordered.

Flaaffy sent another bolt of electricity through Snivy's body, causing the Grass Snake to let out a loud cry. The electricity glowed around her body as the large bolt continued to press down on her, however, the glow of the electricity was soon overpowered by a second glow from within. As the inner glow brightened and grew, the thunderbolt was overpowered and shattered from within, ending the attack.

Within a few short moments, the glow began to subside. Where Snivy once stood, a slightly taller, much leaner version of her now had taken her place. The pokémon that now stood there was only about half a foot taller, but her torso had stretched and now looked much skinnier. The new form also sported two three-pronged leaves that ran along her back, as well as a small horn on the rear of her head.

"Whoa." Chance mumbled in amazement. "You evolved…"

While her trainer stood in amazement at the change in her appearance, she took the chance to take the assault back to her opponent. The Grass Snake rapid fired a small energy ball to stagger Flaaffy, and then immediately summersaulted through the air, the end of her tail glowing a bright green and becoming slightly elongated. She brought the blade that had formed from her tail down hard onto Flaaffy, smashing the electric-type into the dirt.

"Flaaffy, no! Stand up!" Lillian shouted out worriedly. Flaaffy slowly got back on its feet and stared at the newly evolved opponent. "Beat it back with iron tail!" The brunette ordered.

The two pokémon charged each other, each with their tail glowing brightly. Once they met in the middle of the battlefield a bright green tail blade collided with the gray glowing tail of Flaaffy. Each pokémon tried to push their opponent's tail back to gain the upper hand, but for several tense moments it looked like they would remain locked in a stalemate.

"Servine, knock it off balance with vine whip!" Chance called out to his starter. She immediately responded by thrusting a single vine out and slamming it into the left leg of Flaaffy, causing it to cry out in pain and lose focus. In that split second, Servine gave another surge of power into her tail and pushed past the iron tail, slamming her glowing tail blade into Flaaffy's back, sending it sliding across the grass once more.

"Flaaffy!" Lillian cried, worry evident in her voice.

"Flaaffy is unable to battle! Uhhh… Snivy? Is the winner of the battle." Adrian declared, unsure of what Snivy's evolved form was.

"Oh Flaaffy…" Lillian said softly to the Wool Pokémon as she cradled it on her lap. She looked up across the battlefield from her to see her redheaded opponent also kneeling on the ground and embracing his newly evolved pokémon. After a moment of hugging Flaaffy and watching Chance celebrate the evolution of his partner she recalled her pokémon to rest and approached the boys. "Well, I guess you win this time, but next time we battle it won't be while Flaaffy is already tired from a battle." She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she looked down at the kneeling redhead.

"Sure, Servine and I would be happy to beat you in another battle sometime." He and Servine stood up to look Lillian in the eyes. "It was a good battle. You should look at any opponent with a bit more respect." At this, Chance turned and began to walk back to the path that led further south, Servine on his heels.

"Well… It was nice to meet you." Adrian offered awkwardly, offering his hand.

"Yeah, you too." She shook the offered hand. "I hope you keep training that elekid of yours. It has a lot of potential. I would be glad to share another battle in the future." Her tone was much friendlier than it was when she had said nearly the same to his traveling companion.

"You know he isn't such a bad guy. He just didn't like being accused of stealing a pokémon."

"Yeah, well, I just call it how I see it." She retorted.

"It really was a misunderstanding… But I guess I should catch up before he leaves me behind. Catch ya later." Adrian jogged down the road to catch up with his friend, glancing back once to see a half smile on Lillian's face.

"Well, onward to Olivine City." Chance said once his companion had joined him.

"Yeah. Gotta start getting ready for our next gym battle." Adrian grinned back.

As the afternoon sun began to make its slow descent towards the horizon, the two trainers began their journey once more, now entering Route 39 and drawing ever closer to their next challenge. 

* * *

**Heyyyyy. I am alive! Life has been crazy busy lately. Had a career change as well as had a friend have a medical thing come up so I spent a lot of my free time taking care of her two boys rather than writing, but thankfully she is healthy and happy again and my life is settling back into a normal routine, so hopefully will be uploading more. This chapter isn't my best work, as the rust has settled in again, but hopefully it is enjoyable nonetheless. Happy readings!**


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